Highway to Hell
by Bella'sExecutioner
Summary: Lesson one: Family is everything. Lesson two: Never leave your gun in the car. Lesson three: Sometimes lesson two is the more important one to remember.
1. Preface: December 10, 1990

**Highway to Hell Preface: December 10, 1990**

**A/N: Hang on tight. This is a crossover of Twilight and the ****TV show Supernatural. It's probably best if you've watched, read, etc. either or both of those stories before reading this. **

**I do not own any of the rights to either the Twilight or Supernatural worlds. This is just for fun.**

**This story is rated M for maturity. If you ain't got it, don't read it. **

**Thank you to TwilightMomofTwo for you awesome beta skillz. And thanks to Secamimom for prereading this for me. **

**Story Summary: Lesson one: Family is everything. Lesson two: Never leave your gun in the car. Lesson three: Sometimes lesson two is the more important one to remember.**

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"We gotta hold on ready or not  
>You live for the fight when it's all that you've got"<p>

(Livin' on a prayer, Bon Jovi)

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Carlisle PoV: (Seattle)**

I rubbed my eyes and rolled my shoulders to combat the stiffness setting into my muscles.

I shook my head to clear the fog of sleepiness.

"Dr Cullen, why don't you head home?" the head nurse on call asked quietly.

I looked at her, realizing that I was so damn exhausted I couldn't remember her name.

_Heidi?_

"I have fifteen minutes left," I said, yawning as I looked at my watch for confirmation.

"You've already completed two shifts," the nurse argued.

_Maybe Jane?_

"I told Marcus that I'd stay until midnight to see if there was any change with Mrs. Masen."

The nurse sighed. "Alright, I wouldn't hope for anything on that front, though. Poor lady was a stone cold vegetable when they brought her in yesterday."

"Thanks…er," I looked at the woman in her pink scrubs and bushy blonde ponytail.

_What the hell is her name?_

"Kathy?" I guessed like an imbecile.

She smiled and laughed lightly. "I'm Angela, Dr. Cullen. We've worked together for three years."

_Angela! Of course. The girl that Esme likes. The one that used to get me coffee when I worked the graveyard shift. Shit, how did I forget that?_

"Angela, sorry," I apologized, shaking my head.

"Don't worry about it, Dr. Cullen. Just promise me you'll get some sleep. Soon." She gave me a stern look and headed off down the hall.

I looked around. The place was silent except for the buzzing and beeping of the machines. The ICU was dead. One nurse sat at the front desk and one was making rounds. Then there was me.

_Marcus owes me one,_ I mentally grumbled.

I sat behind the nurse's station and glared at the screen labeled room seventeen. It was the room that Elizabeth Masen was taken to a handful of hours before, after Marcus had finished examining her in the ER. The vitals hadn't changed since the last time I was sitting there. I tapped the glass and hoped it was a glitch in the hardware. Marcus was certain there would be a change by midnight.

The nurse making rounds passed the desk a minute later. She gave me a sympathetic look but didn't say anything.

I drummed my fingers on the tabletop. The minutes ticked by slower than molasses. Elizabeth Masen lay there, unchanged.

Five minutes till midnight I stood and walked to room seventeen. I didn't think it would make any difference at all if I visited her bedside before I left for the night. I was too exhausted to be much help anyway, but I had promised Marcus that I would stay until midnight. I hoped that this might make the time pass faster.

I grabbed the chart hanging by the door as I entered her room. I flipped through the pages to refresh my memory on her condition. She was brought in early Thursday morning. There were no signs of her being attacked. No indications as to why she was not responding. Her vitals were normal other than her unconsciousness. All in all she looked like a typical coma case to me. Her x-rays showed no signs of trauma to her head. Her blood work was normal. Further tests would have to be done to find out what put her in a coma, but I didn't see anything out of the ordinary from the notes in her chart.

But Marcus was hell-bent on me staying here to watch over her tonight. He insisted that Esme would understand.

I noticed a tray of food sitting on the back counter of her room.

_That's awfully optimistic of the nurses, _I thought. Usually patients didn't have meals delivered until they were awake and their vitals indicated that it was okay for food to be put in their systems.

"Dr Cullen," a voice at the door suddenly announced. I flinched at the sound, unprepared for any noise at that moment. "Oh, sorry to scare you." I turned to find Angela standing in the doorway.

"No, it's okay, what is it?"

She smiled warmly. "I had the orderly bring you some food. Just in case you skipped dinner," she added knowingly.

I smiled. "That was very considerate of you," I told her, realizing that I _had_ skipped dinner. "Thank you."

She nodded and headed back down the hall. I looked at the tray from across the room. My stomach growled in interest and my feet responded without my commanding them to move. Upon closer inspection I decided I would just eat the Jell-o and wait until I got home to find something substantial to eat. I tucked Mrs. Masen's chart under my arm and picked up the cup, searching the tray for a spoon. I found two forks but no spoons.

"Why is it always forks?" I complained. The cafeteria staff seemed to despise spoons for some ridiculous reason. It was almost impossible to find any utensil other than forks in the kitchen. I made do with my anti-spoon and Jell-o and sat the finished container next to Mrs. Masen's bed.

I noted the stats on the blinking monitors above her head and her still incapacitated form.

_Nothing new._

I sighed, laying the chart down at the end of Mrs. Masen's bed. I reached for my flashlight in my chest pocket.

A loud crash from the hallway drew my attention. Mel, the night janitor, pushed the cumbersome floor polishing machine past the door.

I shook my head. The lack of sleep was getting to me.

"Okay, let's have a look," I muttered to myself.

I leaned in, pulling the lids of her right eye apart and shining the light directly at her unfocused pupil.

No response.

"Damn it, Marcus," I grumbled.

I could see the seconds hand on the clock on the wall counting down the final thirty seconds till midnight.

_What the hell does he expect? Is she going to turn into a damn pumpkin?_

My head shook out of frustration as I put on my stethoscope and lowered the chest piece to listen to her heart.

An ice cold hand clamped down on top of mine the instant the metal touched her skin. I jumped back, my hand jerking from the grasp instinctively. To my utter amazement Elizabeth Masen's eyes were wide open. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she tried to catch her breath. Her hand was still outstretched above her.

I looked to the clock on the wall—midnight.

"What the hell…" My heartbeat sped. I felt suddenly wide awake.

"Help me…please help me," she rasped.

I looked around. Her monitor was unchanged, as if she was still asleep. The two nurses on duty probably didn't even realize that she'd woken up.

"I'll get…" I started to say.

"No! Help me…please…don't leave…don't…" she moaned.

I swallowed slowly. It felt like my heart was beating in my throat, choking the air from my lungs.

I moved forward gradually, some unnamed fear making my movements stilted.

"Please…please….save him…help him…" she pleaded.

"Him who?" I asked once I was next to her bed.

My heart stalled when her eyes instantly snapped in my direction. Her eyes were green, vibrant and hard as emeralds.

"Edward," she whispered. "Edward...Edward…Edward…" she chanted.

She stared heavenward as she repeated the name. I moved closer to her, leaning in toward her face.

"Who is Edward?" I asked.

"My son," she replied.

I felt as if the air was sucked out of the room. My throat was dry.

There was another loud crash from out in the hall. I ignored it this time, knowing it was just the janitor.

_Her son? _

I thought back to yesterday morning. Her arrival had been amidst chaos in the ER due to multiple car accidents. Marcus had been the only doctor available to see her. No one, not even the nurses who had researched her identification had mentioned that she had a child.

_That poor kid. _

"Where is Edward?" I asked. "I'll help him, but where…" 

Those green eyes were staring in my direction again, unblinking and calculating. She was deciding something.

"You can trust me," I promised.

A tear slid down her cheek from the corner of her right eye. She didn't say anything, but she pointed to my empty Jell-o cup.

"Are you hungry?" I guessed. I retrieved the food tray from the back counter, offering her whatever she wanted off of it.

She shook her head, pointing to the cup once more. I brought the cup closer, putting it on the food tray and holding it all out to her. She pushed everything aside, hunting down the two forks on the tray and holding them up to me.

"I know," I assured her. "It's _utensilism_ down in the cafeteria."

She shook her head, holding the forks out to me with determination in her eyes.

I took them from her. "Forks?" I asked in confusion.

She nodded. "Edward," she whispered.

_Her son was in Forks? How the hell did she end up in Seattle?_

Before I had a chance to ask, pain shot through my head and everything went black.

I woke up, gasping for breath. The room was dark when I opened my eyes. Thick black smoke coated everything. The source of the smoke was easy enough to discern, Elizabeth's bed was ablaze the stench of her burning flesh making me gag.

I kept my breaths shallow and crawled to the hallway.

"Help!" My voice was gnarled by the smoke. I coughed. I squinted to bring the room into focus.

_Why wasn't the fire alarm triggered? Why weren't the sprinklers kicking on?_

"Help," I croaked once more. I struggled to pull myself up, stumbling over something on the floor next to the nurse's station.

I leaned against the counter for support and looked down. The nurse who had been making rounds when I was at the desk was lying on her side at my feet. I kneeled beside her, my hand automatically moving to her neck to check her pulse. Her body lurched toward me.

"Oh God," I whispered pulling my hand back when I noticed the scalpel lodged in her chest.

I scrambled back to my feet and ran down the hall toward the elevator. A familiar loud banging met me as I rounded the corner. The floor polisher was caught in the door of the elevator, still running. I followed the cord back to the outlet.

"Mel, thank God someone is here," I said when I saw the janitor sitting next to the power source. My relief was short lived when Mel's lifeless body fell to the side. The power cord was wrapped around his throat.

"Holy shit!" I shouted. I pulled the cord free of the outlet and ran back to the elevator. I shoved the cleaning machine out of the door track and stepped back into the sanctuary of the elevator.

My heart jack hammered in my chest. I pushed the button for the lobby and leaned my forehead against the door once it was closed.

"What the fuck is going on?" I asked breathlessly. Everyone was dead. Killed. The hospital was on fire. Where were the emergency crews? The fire department? The damn sprinkler system?

_What happened to Elizabeth?_

Something thumped against the back of the elevator behind me. I shouted in terror. Whatever was killing people here might still be hanging around. I turned to meet my fate.

Tears filled my eyes the second I saw her—Angela. She sat propped in the corner of the elevator. Her throat sliced and her pink scrubs covered in her own blood.

Tears, screams and a whole hell of a lot of luck got me to my car in the parking lot and back home. The streets were empty as I drove away from the hospital. Our house was dark and quiet when I walked through the front door.

"Ez, you gotta get up sweetheart," I said softly when I entered our bedroom. I tried to keep the fear from my voice. I didn't want to scare her. My head was spinning. I felt weak from being awake so long. I couldn't stop thinking about all the dead people at the hospital.

_What's going on? Where are we going to go?_

"Come on, sweetie. We have to leave town. Tonight."

I went to the closet and started pulling out clothes. I unlocked the safe behind my dress shirts and pulled out the stored money and the pistol that my father gave me when I turned eighteen.

I tossed everything into a duffle bag.

I froze.

The bedroom was silent.

"Ez?" I whispered.

There was no response.

"Esme?" I called louder.

Still no response.

I dropped the duffle and walked back into our bedroom. The lights were all off but I could make out the outline of a body lying in our bed. I took a deep breath.

"Ez, sweetie, is that you?" I whispered.

I inched closer to the bed, my heart in my throat. "Ez, please…"

I turned on the bedside lamp as I sat down next to her. My wife's beautiful chestnut hair rested against the pillow as she laid facing away from me.

"Esme?" I reached out, touching her shoulder and turning her toward me.

My heart stopped. My brain was unable to process what I saw.

"No!" I screamed.

My wife. My beautiful, loving, innocent wife lay lifeless in my arms. Her throat was cut, just like Angela's had been. Her blood stained our bed. Her eyes were open and empty.

"Esme!" I yelled, shaking her, knowing that it was pointless. She was dead. I was a doctor. I knew there was no medical way to cure someone of death.

"Why!" I yelled. I clutched her to me. Her arms fell limply at her sides, her body unmoving and cold. Such a contrast to the warmth she had been to my life.

The world was crumbling around me. I couldn't fight this. I didn't know where to begin to figure this out. Why was everyone suddenly dead? Why was I still alive? Why was my angel dead in my arms?

I noticed a folded piece of paper lying on Esme's pillow. I was loathed to put her down but I had to find answers to what was going on. I held the paper, the corners of it stained with her blood. I took one last long glance at my beloved wife. Tears blurred my vision as I read the note.

_Give me the child_.

That was all it said. No name. No explanation. Just a demand for a thing that I didn't have in my possession. Esme was unable to conceive. We didn't have any kids.

"What child?" I whispered, trying to riddle out the meaning. There were kids in the hospital. "Oh God!" I exclaimed as I realized they were all probably dead now, too.

The hospital. Kids. Elizabeth.

A single word popped into my brain, explaining everything.

"Edward," I whispered.

I dropped the card on the floor. Determination steeled my muscles. I changed into fresh clothes and finished filling my duffle bag. I kissed my wife goodbye, promising to see her again one day.

I pulled out on to the highway at three a.m., only one destination in mind.

Forks.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**A/N: Just fair warning that I don't post chapters on a schedule and these will post as I have time to write them. **

**Thanks for reading! **


	2. Chapter 1: December 10th, 2009

**A/N: Not entirely sure how I****'m going to go about telling this story. I hope you're up for the ride. As always, thanks for reading! **

**And a big thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I promise to have teasers of the next chapter for every review. I'm glad to hear y'all are scared. Muahaha ;0)**

**I don't own the rights of either Twilight or Supernatural. No copyright infringement is meant. This is just for fun. **

**The story is rated M for a reason. This is going to be a gruesome, gory and all around adult story so if you are not mature enough for the content, please stop reading now. If you continue on from here, I warned you.**

**Thanks to MissCarissa for volunteering her beta talents while TwilightMomofTwo is traveling around the world. Also big thanks to Secamimom and Khar for prereading this and telling me it doesn't suck. **

**This story is dedicated to my very good friend Celeste. She knows why. **

**PS for anyone who wonders at this point I won't be promising a HEA with this story. **

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"Living easy, living free  
>Season ticket on a one-way ride<br>Asking nothing, leave me be  
>Taking everything in my stride"<p>

(Highway to Hell, AC/DC)

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Then:**

**(June 10, 2009)**

"_If you walk out that door, you might as well never come back," he threatened both of us. _

_I looked to Jazz, my big brother, the guy who could do anything. There was fear in his blue eyes that made me angry. _

"_We can't back down now," I told him. _

"_We can't just leave him, Eddie, he's our…"_

"_Our what, Jazz? He's not even our real dad." _

_I don't know what possessed me to say it. The conviction in my voice surprised even me. It was true Carlisle Cullen wasn't our real father. Hell, Jazz and I weren't even related by blood. _

_But this was our family. _

"_Get the hell out!" Dad snarled. _

_I'd seen the old man pissed before. I'd even seen him possessed by the evil shit he forced us to hunt. I'd never seen him that…unhinged. _

_He wasn't throwing shit across the room, or pulling out any of the deadly weapons in our arsenal to fight me. He was just standing there. Still. Calm. Silent. His eyes bore into me like liquid fire in my veins. I tried to hold my ground and not squirm under his gaze. _

_Jazz turned back toward the room and the look that Dad shot him said it all. We were a package deal. Whether Jazz wanted to leave with me or not he was going too._

_We left that night, never looking back. _

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Now:**

**(December 10****th****, 2009)**

**Lesson One: Family is everything.**

**Edward PoV: (Chicago, Illinois)**

I massaged my fingers and looked over the exam in front of me. I glanced up at the clock. We had another forty minutes to complete the essay. I fixed a few misspellings and added some commas for good measure.

"Done," I whispered in confidence.

"Show off," Tanya mouthed from across the lab table.

I smirked and threw her a wink. She rolled her eyes in exaggeration but blew me a good luck kiss when I stood up.

Professor Banner sighed when I dropped my blue test booklet on to his desk.

"I had really hoped to give you a challenge this time, Edward," he confessed forlornly.

I smiled, shrugging apologetically. "Sorry, maybe if I take your advanced life sciences course next semester?" I offered.

Professor Banner shook his head curtly. "No, Edward you don't need to waste your time in class. You need to get an apprenticeship somewhere. You're too damn smart to be stuck behind a desk."

His words hit me square in the chest. It was the kind of praise I never expected. I didn't know how to properly accept it. I just nodded a 'thank you' and left the class. My shoulders were a tad straighter as I walked down the hall, my chin held a little higher.

I headed out to the parking lot and kicked back in my Volvo while I waited for Tanya to finish. She was a pretty smart cookie herself. I imagined I wouldn't be waiting long.

I put my iPod on shuffle and rested my head back. Debussy's notes drifted through the speakers while Mr. Banner's words swirled in my head.

_An apprenticeship? Wow_. I was a freshman, and this was only my first semester. It wasn't normal for someone to just bypass college was it?

He told me I was too smart to be wasting my time here. It felt good to hear that.

The music ended and I closed my eyes. A loud electric bass followed by almost violent drum riffs started in. _Black Sabbath_. I snorted. I couldn't remember the last time I listened to this song or this music in general. It took me straight back to a distinct memory. Back when this was the soundtrack to my life.

"_Has he lost his mind?  
>Can he see or is he blind?<br>Can he walk at all  
>Or if he moves will he fall?"<em>

Dad.

Jazz.

Another world.

_Six months,_ I thought. _Feels like a whole other life._

A knock on my window pulled me from my memories. I gasped, suddenly tensing in alertness. Half a year and I was still instinctively on edge and ready to fight.

_Old habits die hard. _

Tanya waved at me through the glass. I tried to compose myself as she walked around the front of the car to climb into the passenger seat. I calmed my heart and smoothed the worry from my face with an easy smile.

"Hey you," she said, leaning over to kiss my lips. I kissed her back, sighing on contact. She made me feel…normal. When I was with Tanya I didn't worry about anything but the moment we were living in.

"Hey yourself, beautiful."

She sat back to reach for her seatbelt and I ran my eyes down her body, appreciating her low-cut top.

"I think you've caused Banner to have a stroke from the effort he has to exert to stump you. I swear he just kept muttering under his breath after you walked out." She giggled and I rolled my eyes.

"I feel bad for the old guy. I swear I don't do anything but read the text book," I assured her as I put the Volvo in gear and drove to our apartment building off campus.

"Oh please," she argued, snorting in disagreement. "Edward I don't know how you do it, but somehow…I don't know…"

"What?" I asked, cocking my head sideways to look at her when I stopped at the light.

She shrugged. "I don't know. It's like you just _know _stuff. Like you can…"

"Read minds?" I finished her thought easily. It was a ridiculous notion. Not the reading minds part. There _were _things in the world capable of reading the thoughts of humans. It's just I, luckily, wasn't one of them.

She laughed and swatted my arm. I slid my sunglasses on and put my hand on her thigh. She put her hand over mine, weaving our fingers together. I tried to restrain my smile as I drove through the city afraid that my face might explode from the force of my joy. I must've looked like a grinning fool.

_Could this day get any better?_

"Oh I almost forgot," she said when I pulled into our registered stall in the parking garage of our apartment building. "The girls called me earlier today, wanted to know if we wanted to go out for dinner tonight?"

Her eyebrows were raised in anticipation.

I played dumb, knowing exactly what she was really asking. She was hinting about going out tonight because it was a special day. It was the anniversary of _the _happiest day of my life. Five months ago exactly we met. There wasn't a chance in hell I was about to forget that.

"Oh?" I said as if doing something today was the furthest from my plans. "I thought we might just stay in tonight. You know…watch the game."

I'd made a point of not brining up our anniversary all week. She'd almost broken my determination this morning when I said good morning to her without mentioning the special occasion. She pouted all the way to class when I continued to neglect the situation.

I was pretty proud of myself that I hadn't slipped yet. Jazz had always told me that I was a horrible poker player.

"_It's your emotions, Eddie," _he used to warn me. _"You wear them like an awkward dude in a prom dress. Obvious and on display."_

Well this time I was able to hide my emotions.

"Oh," Tanya said. Her lips fell into a frown as she tried to hide her hurt feelings. I almost caved. I could tell she was really upset about my thoughtlessness.

I didn't want to hurt her. That was the last thing I wanted tonight.

"Yeah, okay. Let's stay in," she countered, plastering a fake smile on her face and hopping out of the car with false bravado. She couldn't hide her emotions very well either.

She slammed the door and I cringed. I knew the Volvo wasn't some classic car or anything, but I did love it. There was no need for her to take her anger out on my custom silver paint job.

"Sorry baby," I told it, patting the steering wheel before I stepped out of the car.

Tanya refused to make eye contact with me in the elevator all the way up to our floor. She didn't say anything as we walked to our apartment. By the time we reached our door I was beginning to regret ever planning a stupid surprise.

_What the hell is the point if all you do is trick someone into believing a lie? _I'd done more than enough lying in my life.

"Look," I said briskly as we stopped at our door. "I know you probably think I'm some brainless jerk who can't remember the minutest details," I rambled.

Shock seized her features and she opened her mouth to respond. I didn't give her the opportunity.

"But I…I've never been in a relationship that's lasted even half as long as ours and…well I didn't know how to…what to…Look, I'm sorry okay?" I put my hands on her shoulders, staring deep into her eyes to covey the sincerity of my words. Tanya looked flabbergasted.

I was genuinely sorry for causing her any pain for how I went about surprising her. I made a mental note to scratch surprises off my list in the future.

_Live and learn and then make a list, Edward. _That was the rule.

"Um…you're forgiven?" she acquiesced, though mostly it sounded like a question.

I smiled, pulling her into a hug.

"Edward, are you feeling alright?" she asked when I released her from my embrace.

A slow, decadent smile melted across my lips. Was I alright? I was getting ready to walk into my apartment that I shared with this beautiful angel in front of me. We were celebrating five months of bliss together.

"I'm a lot more than that, sweetheart," I assured her. I felt my chest swell with elation as I spoke.

Surprise or no surprise I couldn't wait any longer.

I let my gaze roam down her body and then slowly drew it back up to her face. Her cheeks were flushed with a gentle hint of pink spreading across them. Her eyes were open wide, her pupils dilated in desire.

My hands cupped her cheeks. My thumbs ran softly over the stain that was proof of her need for me. Her lips were parted slightly. My thumb couldn't resist running across the satin smooth skin of those lips, dipping into her mouth quickly to moisten the skin calling to my own lips.

"You're so beautiful," I whispered, my voice husky with the proof of my own cravings.

"Edward," she whispered back, breathlessly.

I leaned forward, just close enough for her breath to mingle with my own between our nearly touching lips.

"I care for you deeply," I vowed. It wasn't an 'I love you', but it was the best that I could offer.

"I love you…too," she replied. Her hazel eyes burned with the emotion as I lost myself in their depths. In one deep breath our lips were joined and all other thoughts slipped from my mind.

We made out in the hallway like two horny teenagers without a care in the world. My mouth devoured hers while my hands slipped under her teasing top to fondle the goods that were all mine. She broke the kiss, gasping as if our joined passion was suffocating her. My lips weren't about to let her go.

I ran open-mouthed wet kisses down the succulent column of her throat. Tanya moaned and the sound went straight to my crotch.

"We need to get out of the hall before that old lady peeks out and stares at us," she rasped. She had a point. Our nosey neighbor across the hall, Mrs. Cope, would love nothing more than a sex scene in the hallway for her viewing pleasure.

A dark side of my mind kind of liked the idea of having an audience, though.

"If you insist," I conceded. I pulled my keys from my pocket, unlocking the door and planting one last deep kiss on her lips.

The stunned expression on her face when I turned to lead us into our apartment forced an arrogant smile to split my face.

"Oh my," she breathed, fanning herself. I knew enough about Tanya to know that she wasn't doing that for show. She followed me into our living room with her cheeks flushed with anticipation.

She froze when the daze from the hallway finally wore off and she could look around the room.

"Edward…" she whispered. The way she said my name, hushed and reverently, it was like I was something almost too precious to speak of.

I nervously stood back and let her take it all in.

The room was covered in calla lilies that reminded me of her sweet, gentle nature and orange orchids which represented her passionate spirit. There were dozens of each scattered on shelves, lining the carpet and sitting in a vase on the coffee table.

"How…" Complete sentences seemed to fail her but I could tell she loved the surprise.

"I know they're not your favorite flowers," I explained. She loved red roses. Though the red rose was a classic and beautiful one at that, these flowers just felt right when I was standing at the flower shop yesterday.

She shook her head in protest. Her eyes were watery as she looked at me in earnest. "They're perfect," she whispered.

My eyes softened as I watched her. My heart melted, the warmth spreading through my entire body.

"You're perfect," I told her. Our eyes locked and for a heartbeat I was living a future life. One where I was a normal guy married to an amazing woman. We had two kids and three dogs and a house that always smelled like chocolate chip cookies.

That warmth in my veins became a blaze and before I knew it we were stumbling into our bedroom, tossing clothing over our heads and behind our backs into the dark void of the room without a care. We fell on to our bed with frantic gropes and giddy giggles.

I froze suddenly, gripping Tanya's arms in a silent alert for her to stop.

"Edward?" she asked, confused.

I ignored her. I sniffed the air. I could feel something out of place in the pitch black room.

We weren't alone.

"Who's there?" I asked with a lethally quiet voice. My hand moved toward the nightstand drawer to grab my pocketknife. Tanya squeaked in panic as she caught on that someone was in the room with us.

"Hi there, handsome," a deep, familiar voice said in the dark.

"Edward?" Tanya whispered.

I closed my eyes, groaning and silently counted to ten. It couldn't be. It shouldn't be.

_Why now? After six fucking__…_

"Is that you, Jazz?" I asked in exasperation.

"How many other dudes visit your bedroom in the middle of the night, Ed?"

_Unfuckingbelievable._

I turned on the lamp next to the bed and glared at the idiot grinning back at me.

"Come on Eddie," he drawled from the foot of my bed. "Is that anyway to welcome your brother?"

Tanya shrieked and hid under the covers. I glowered up at my cock-blocking older brother while releasing an annoyed breath through my nostrils.

"Sorry, Jazz." I sneered. "If I had known you'd be stopping by I would have bought you a cake."

"No need for the cake but uh…" He raised his hand to shield his eyes while turning his head away from me. "You mind putting Jabba back in his hut?"

_Speaking of cock-blocking_… I rested back on my elbows, smirking as I lay in front of him as naked as _David_. "This is my bedroom," I reminded him. I scowled when I saw Tanya's discarded bra hanging from his shoulder. "What the hell is that doing there?"

He looked back at me, cringing when he realized I was still living la vida nudist.

"I don't know," he said, plucking the red lacy article off of his shoulder and dangled it from his finger. "You two were a bit…immersed when she threw it at my face."

I growled, narrowing my eyes at the cocky bastard. "Get the hell out!"

"Dad's missing," he announced. No bullshit. No banter about the fact that I was sleeping in a bed with a girl. Just straight to the facts.

_Damn but he reminds me of the old man sometimes. _

"And?" I asked, arching a speculative brow.

"And," he repeated in irritation. "He's _missing_."

That seemed to be enough explanation for him. It didn't begin to cover it for me. I hadn't seen or heard from either of them for half a year. The last thing Dad had said to me was "don't even think about coming back". I could care less that he was missing.

_That__'s a lie, _an inner voice warned me. I ignored it and shrugged at Jazz.

"Man, seriously. He's missing. I need your," he swallowed as if the next word was almost to vile to pass his lips, "help."

"Give me a minute," I told him. He stood there for another second, just staring at me. I pointed toward the door and he rolled his eyes. He let those same baby blue eyes scan down the length of Tanya's body only slightly covered by the bed sheet. He waggled his brows at me and winked as he noted my still over excited compromising position.

I pulled a corner of the sheet over my erection out of self preservation.

"Out," I hissed. He tossed her bra at my face and chuckled on his way out the door.

"Who was that Edward?" Tanya's muffled voice asked from under the covers.

I reached over and pulled the sheet back. "That's my brother, Jazz," I explained.

Tanya sat up. Her eyebrows nearly touched on her forehead. "Brother? You never told me you have a brother."

I shrugged. "We're not really brothers. We were adopted. We…" I tried to find the right words to explain our situation without unearthing the past. "We grew up together is all."

She nodded in understanding. Her eyes were wide with uncertainty. "And your…_dad_?" she asked quietly.

My heart clenched at the mention of Carlisle Cullen. Deep down inside I cared for him, I really did. I just couldn't give a shit that his lifestyle had finally caught up with him.

I refused to drag Tanya into that hell of a life by diving into some long explanation of my past. I settled for the Cliff notes version.

"Don't worry about it, sweetheart," I assured her. I leaned over and kissed her soundly on the lips. "I'm just going to take a short trip with Jazz. I promise I'll be home by this weekend. I'm sorry about tonight being… ruined."

"Don't worry about it. You just take care of whatever you need to and you better be back by Saturday," she tried to tease but there was an edge of fear in her voice that she couldn't hide. She hugged me tight and kissed my cheek. "Be safe."

I got out of bed and dressed quickly. I didn't give a crap what I wore. I really hoped to only be gone one day. I did make sure to put on my work boots just in case we ended up…well pretty much walking anywhere that Dad would end up visiting to be honest.

I stepped into the bathroom to grab the orange prescription bottle from the medicine cabinet before taking a deep breath and walking back into the life I had thought I was freed from six months ago.

Jazz was kicked back on the sofa with his feet on my coffee table when I entered the living room.

"That's a sweet piece of pie you've got there, Eddie," he tossed at me with a kinky smirk and suggestive wink. I didn't respond. Well verbally I didn't. The tips of my ears turned pink and I grinded my teeth.

"You mad, or embarrassed?" he asked as sincerely obtuse to his rude manner as he was growing up.

"What do you think?" I seethed, narrowing my eyes as I looked at him.

There he sat looking just as casual as if he visited me every Friday afternoon. He hadn't changed a bit in the past six months. His dark blonde hair was trimmed short and slicked back. He wore those exact same cowboy boots with faded denim jeans. And that damn leather jacket was still wrapped around him like some stupid pride patch. He'd taken one of the orange orchids from the back of the couch and tucked it over his left ear.

There was one thing different about his appearance. "Where'd you get that scar?" I asked pointing to my own cheek where the mark was mirrored on his face.

The asshole smirk fell from his lips as a suddenly somber mood swept over his features. "Why do you give a shit?" he spat.

I shoved my hands in my pockets and braced myself for the awkward and angst driven family reunion ahead of us.

"Jazz," I tried to find the right words to say. I'd missed him. I cared. Just…

"Save it, Eddie," he said in typical Jazz fashion—clipped, short and sweet. He removed the flower and tossed it on the ground signaling that playtime was over.

"Let's go."

I followed him to the parking garage. I didn't have to ask what car was his. I could see the black paint from the elevator. It stood out in the sea of muted colored sedans that filled the garage.

"So, Dad gave you the car, huh?" I asked more in the interest of small talk than really to learn about the car's pink slip status.

Jazz threw me a look over his shoulder. "Sort of," he mumbled with no further explanation.

I clenched my jaw and mentally counted to ten. Already I was ready to punch something.

"Out of curiosity," he asked as I slid into the front passenger seat. "Which of these yuppie-death-traps on wheels are you rocking?"

I glared out the side window and pointed to the silver S60R in the corner stall. "The Volvo," I mumbled.

"Come again?" Jazz asked with sarcastic glee. "You have a vulva?"

I snapped my mouth shut and crossed my arms over my chest without responding. Jazz threw his head back and laughed. He started up the Impala and the engine roared like a caged tiger waiting to be unleashed.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"You've got to be kidding me?" I complained as I searched the glove compartment for music.

"What?" Jazz asked, not removing his eyes from the road in front of us.

We'd been driving for a few hours. It was still pitch black on the highway. Neither of us had said a word to each other since we left Chicago.

I needed some sound in the car to break the deafening silence.

"Jazz, are you serious with this shit?" I held up a cassette case for a severely warn out copy of AC/DC's _Back in Black_.

Jazz looked over at the tape and then directly at me. He gave me a blank stare.

"What?" he asked, sincerely clueless.

"Dude, you've had these tapes since you were in the sixth grade. I'm not even gonna touch the fact that they are _tapes. _But come on…You're still listening to this stuff?"

Jazz flinched at the word _stuff. _

"Eddie, one day you'll learn to appreciate good music," he prophesied. He reached over, keeping one hand steadily on the wheel and grabbed the tape from my hand.

"Rule number one," he announced, popping the tape into the slot in the center of the radio. "The driver picks the music. Shotgun shuts it or walks."

The music started in and I couldn't help but smile when Jazz started singing along.

"Yes I'm, let loose, from the noose. That's kept me hanging about." He beat his hands on the steering wheel in time with the percussion. He was off pitch and wailing like a tone deaf idiot.

I laughed, shaking my head. "Some things never change," I murmured.

"Nothing changes, Eddie." I watched as the playfulness that had lightened the air in the car was suddenly sucked out of him again.

"What's going on, Jazz?" I probed.

"Case, life or small talk?" he offered the choices like we were playing _The Price is Right._

I shrugged. "Let's start with the easy one, case."

Jazz nodded in compliance. "Well, I was working a case in New Mexico two days ago when I got a call from Swan."

There wasn't much explanation needed other than that. Charlie Swan was one of Dad's oldest friends and a hunter. He was arguably the best in the business actually. A call from Swan usually meant drop everything now.

"He told me that Dad called him a month ago and said he was on to something. Told him to contact us if he didn't check in every Monday. So…" Jazz shrugged.

"So?" I echoed. "So what? We don't have any idea what we're heading into?"

"Yeah, I guess not," he offered as if it didn't bother him.

"Well, when was the last time you talked to Dad?"

Jazz shot a look at me for a second and then turned his full attention back to the road.

"What?" I challenged.

"Nothing," he grumbled.

"No. If we're going to be working on a case together again we have to follow rule number four, right? Trust is the difference between walking away and getting blown away." I recited.

"Son of a bitch, he even quotes the shit now," Jazz mumbled to himself.

"Excuse me?" I asked.

Jazz kept his eyes straight ahead. His knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel and his jaw was clenched in obvious irritation.

I dropped it. It was probably for the best that I didn't push the issue, anyway. No one on planet earth could aggravate me like my brother could. Jazz had spent our entire childhood idolizing this life. He worshipped our father's passion in hunting supernatural creatures. I'd spent my whole life resenting it. If I said anything more we'd end up fighting over something stupid and I'd be walking to the nearest town to call Tanya to come get me.

_On second thought__…_

"So what? Now you're pissed that _you _showed up at _my _apartment and dragged me back into this?" I challenged.

Jazz slammed on the breaks. His posture didn't change once the car stopped. In fact his quiet, barely contained rage seemed to intensify without the buffer of the motion. The Impala was so in-tune with his mood that the idle of the engine was a low rumbling warning for me to back off.

"Dragged you into _this,_" he repeated with contempt dripping like acid from his tongue. "This…_stuff,_" he hissed.

I swallowed slowly. A bad taste was coating my mouth.

"Jazz…" 

"Can it, bitch boy. I get it alright? You hated the life we live and you are so much more _Ozzie and Harriet _without us." He glared straight ahead and I snapped my trap shut. "I didn't want to _drag _you from your precious life, princess. I _have _to bring you along, okay? Dad sent the message to both of us. If it were up to me, I'd never lay eyes on your candied ass for the rest of my days."

With that he gunned the gas and the car lunged forward on the empty morning highway.

"Why does Dad want me here?" I asked in all sincerity.

"Edward, I thought people used to claim you were smart? For a genius, you're a royal dumbass." He shook his head, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. "I have no earthly idea why he would want you around. Seriously."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

We crossed the state border into Kansas around four a.m. Jazz didn't say anything about our intended destination and I didn't press him for any more information.

He pulled out his phone, hitting speed dial and holding it up to his ear while keeping one hand on the wheel. I felt the urge to inform him that it was not only illegal in most states to talk on your cell while driving but it wasn't safe. I squashed the thought as soon as it popped into my mind, though.

Illegal and dangerous were traditions in the Cullen family.

"Yah, Charlie, it's Jasper," he said quietly.

I tried to listen to the important clues in his conversation. What little I could hear on this end of the phone at least. It wasn't that I wanted to snoop. I just couldn't unlearn a lifetime of lessons from Carlisle.

"Did you call the morgues? Hospitals...yah…okay…well I guess that's good news then?"

I gathered that Dad wasn't dead, lying in a hospital bed or arrested in this place that we were headed to. That was a relief… sort of. At least if he was one of those three things we'd have a clue where to start with finding him.

"Let me know if you hear anything," Jazz said. "Talk to you soon." He hung up and slid the phone back into his jacket pocket.

I didn't bother hoping he'd use the phone call as a conversation opener with me. Clearly he didn't want me tagging along on this case anyway.

We pulled into the parking lot of a Denny's an hour later.

"Lawrence, Kansas," I read from the spot highlighted on my phone's GPS. "What the hell is so special about this place?"

Jazz's shoulders lifted and fell without a word. He got out of the car and headed into the restaurant.

I blew a slow breath of tolerance between my lips. To say the ride had been strained would be putting it lightly. After Jazz told me there was no purpose for me in his, or our father's lives I just stared out of the window. I spent the last six hours walking back through the past in my mind.

I was a tad ashamed to find more good times than bad in my memories.

I followed my brother in and we sat at a booth next to the front window. I looked over the menu trying to ignore the fact that I had filet mignon in the fridge that I was going to prepare for my anniversary dinner last night.

"What can I get you boys?" the waitress asked.

"I'll have the double bacon cheeseburger with fries and a chocolate milkshake," Jazz ordered.

I spied him over my laminated menu. "You know you're taking ten years off of your life by eating like that?" I warned.

"Ten less years of listening to you bitch about my eating habits? Sounds like a bonus," he retorted with a wry twist of his lips.

"And for you, honey?" the waitress asked, turning to me.

I glanced at the menu again. It was technically breakfast time but I didn't want to eat anything swimming in grease. "I'll have the chef's salad with fat free ranch dressing, thanks."

The waitress walked off to place our orders. I yelped at a sudden sharp pain in my shin.

"What the hell?" I hissed. I wanted to smack the smug smirk from his face. "Jerk," I spat.

Jazz rolled his eyes and relaxed back into his red vinyl covered seat. "Bitch," he mumbled.

I reached down to massage my aching leg. "So, I'm assuming Swan told you we had to head to Lawrence?"

Jazz nodded. "He said Dad told him to send us to Lawrence if he didn't check in. Charlie didn't have any more info than that about the case though. And I didn't have much time to stop and research the place since I had to book it to Chicago," he added with a pointed glare.

I didn't bring up the phone call in the car. Jazz was well aware that I have ears so it was silently assumed that I was caught up to speed on that front. I decided to contribute in the best way I knew how. I pulled out my mobile phone and searched for recent headlines for Lawrence.

_Rule number five: information is key. _I'd spent nineteen years living with Carlisle Cullen. Searching for paranormal activity was second nature to me_._

"Well it looks like there are some paranormal signs popping up locally," I said scanning the news reports for the usual suspicious signs. There were reports of power outages in the recent week.

"Weather report on the radio said there was a massive storm system rolling in by the weekend," Jazz pointed out. "I wouldn't doubt something's going down."

I nodded distractedly. There were two consecutive headlines that caught my eye. "Hey… I think I found something. When did Dad stop checking in?"

"A week ago, Monday. Why?"

"Local historian, Tyler Crowley, was killed crossing the street one week ago." I pulled the headline from the first article.

"Okay? Random. What's so special about the chicken that didn't get to the other side?" 

"He was hit by a… van," I continued to read.

"Oh, a _van_? I see why you think it's up our street. If it had been a sedan or a truck that would've been local authority's territory," Jazz rattled off sarcastically, still unconvinced that there was a case in the story.

"There were no witnesses to the crash," I continued, ignoring his heckling. "The accident happened around five in the morning."

Jazz scoffed at the report with one disbelieving laugh.

"Get this," I said, undeterred by his obnoxiousness. "The vehicle was not found at the scene of the crime, nor was any evidence of a crash, but judging from the impact wound it was determined that Crowley was hit with an oversized automobile."

"So this dude took a hard fall while crossing the road early in the morning?" Jazz speculated. "He was drunk and fell." He shrugged his shoulders like it was all too obvious.

"To fall hard enough for the kind of trauma they're saying his head sustained he would've…I don't know… have to fallen from a two-story window, or something. There's no way he could have hit the ground that hard without something pushing force on him."

Jazz furrowed his brow. I could see the battle deep in his eyes. He didn't want to just jump on the bandwagon of the first possible lead I found from news reports. But he couldn't deny the evidence I was offering.

"Also," I added in the hopes that it would tip the odds in my favor. "Friends of the deceased said that Crowley had been acting strange a few days prior to the accident."

A switch was flicked on behind his eyes. Jazz's forehead smoothed as he gave up the fight of denying there was something to this story.

"Okay, so…what?" he asked. "This guy Crowley had something hunting him down? Some phantom soccer mom out for revenge?"

I shook my head as another clue popped out at me. "Crowley was the head of something called the _Freedom First Historical Committee_."

"Historical committee… history…so we're dealing with a ghost most likely?" Jazz riddled out the same conclusion that I was leading to.

"Uh, yah," I offered as I scanned the next article. "Maybe."

"Well that would explain the disappearing murder weapon," Jazz reasoned.

"And Tyler wasn't the only victim. Two days ago a female member of the same committee, Miriam Reynolds…" I grimaced as I read the details of her death.

"What?" Jazz prompted.

The waitress arrived with our plates and Jazz began devouring his cheeseburger like he hadn't eaten in weeks. I scowled at him as he munched away at the beef.

"Her skull was bashed in," I finished. "The report says the authorities found her head…in pieces."

I cleared my throat and pushed my plate aside, suddenly not interested in eating. Jazz's cheeks were packed full of meat and fries. He looked like a chipmunk storing food for the winter. His head bobbed in understanding as his jaw worked up and down to.

"So…what's the connection?" he pressed, spraying small chunks of his food in my direction. "Ghosts are pretty consistent with how they kill."

"Well both died of blunt force trauma to the skull."

Jazz swallowed and gulped down a mouthful of his shake. "Still seems kind of a loose connection. These could just be two random cases of coincidence."

"They both died in the same location, early in the morning," I pointed out.

"And we're assuming it's a ghost?"

I nodded. "That would be my guess."

He bit off another mouthful of burger, shaking his head as his eyes unfocused and he tried to put all the pieces together in his head.

I hit the refresh button on the browser and smiled.

"It would seem random, except a third victim was struck in the head not two hours ago," I informed him. "Same location too."

Jazz stopped chewing and our eyes locked. "Oh come on," he whined, reading my thoughts with just one look. "I haven't had a real meal in a week."

I didn't say anything. I just lightly pouted my lips and watched him with patient eyes.

"Don't you give me that shit!" he growled. His scowl was fierce, and if I hadn't spent my entire life around him I might've been afraid of it. He took one last giant bite of his burger.

"Goddamn puppy dog eyes," he mumbled through a full mouth.

"I'll take care of the bill." I hopped up before he could protest further.

"Son of a bitch," he cursed when he followed me to the car a few minutes later. "Edward, you really need to learn how to enjoy the little things in life."

I snorted as we got into the car. "There's nothing enjoyable about watching you eat, Jazz."

He glared at me as he started the engine.

"Shut up Mr. Fat-free-ranch-dressing," he mocked. "Okay _bookworm_, where are we headed?"

I tapped the map link on the news report. "Hang a right at the end of the block."

The crime scene was sectioned off and state police cars were parked at the end of the street as we pulled up.

"Okay," Jazz muttered under his breath as he parked. He reached in front of me to open the glove compartment, pulling out a beat up cardboard box.

"Dude," I argued. "Is that entirely necessary?"

Jazz rummaged through the contents of the box and pulled out a black ID holder. He shot me a look and climbed out of the car before I could protest any further.

I followed, almost instantly feeling my personality morph into character. I didn't agree with it, but it was the most effective way to get close to a crime scene. I'd have to wait for Jazz to introduce us to know what branch we were from but I adopted the stance of a shield on duty effortlessly. My eyes scanned the crime scene like I'd received years of training as a professional.

_Rule number six: confidence. _Of course in our case we just used the _con _part of the word.

"Morning gentlemen," Jazz said as we approached the two troopers standing next to the chalk outline on the ground. "We're federal marshals," he announced, holding his stolen badge up only long enough to seem authentic.

The two troopers nodded, completely believing his bluff.

"What does this make…three head injury related deaths on this road in the past week?" Jazz spouted off as if he'd been reading field reports in the car on the drive over.

One of the troopers stepped closer to us. He eyed me with suspicion, probably because I hadn't flashed a badge at all.

"Yeah," he confirmed cautiously. "We're waiting on the F.B.I. to come in and take over the investigation."

I left Jazz to talk to him and I knelt beside the outline of the third victim. "Did you find a murder weapon this time?" I asked the second officer.

He shook his head. "No. That's why we've called in the feds. We don't have any leads on what's being used, either. We were parked across the street." He waved to an empty parking lot directly across from us. "We didn't see anything except Mr. Johnson running from the historical office. By the time we jumped out of the car and got over to him he was…"

I watched the man closely, noting that he was sweating despite the fact that it was early morning in December. He was young, probably not much older than me. His shoulders were hunched defensively. He cast his eyes off to the side as he told me about the event like he was unwilling to meet my eyes as he spoke.

He was hiding something.

I took a leap of faith and tested the waters. 

"Are you sure you didn't see anything?" I asked again quiet enough that Jazz and the other officer couldn't hear me.

The young man's eyes shot to mine.

"No, sir," he responded half a beat later. "There was…_nothing_…" His voice faded and I rolled my eyes heavenward as I threw all my chips in.

"You know," I whispered. "I've seen things I can't explain before."

The sweat beaded his forehead in full force as I spoke. "You have?" he whispered back, watching his partner out of the corner of his eye.

I nodded, reassuringly. "Once, my partner and I were working a case in St. Louis, and I swear…" I shook my head in disbelief, remembering the job I was using to gain his trust. "I saw something…I don't know what it was. It was there and then…it was just…gone. Vanished."

I looked down at the ground for a second. St. Louis was the last case I worked with Dad and Jazz. I used the emotional connection of the memory to fill my eyes with terror and then shot those eyes back to the young trooper.

He swallowed and when he looked back at me I could all but read his mind.

"What did you see?" I asked him in total confidence that he would spill the information I needed.

"A ghost."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"Well, Deputy Sunshine over there was a wash," Jazz mumbled once we were alone.

"Is his name actually _Sunshine_?" I asked sincerely.

Jazz scrunched his face in response. "No, Eddie."

I frowned at him. "You know, Eddie was a dorky kid who wore glasses," I pointed out. I never liked the nickname, even growing up. It made me feel like I was fourteen again to hear him call me it.

"I've been meaning to tell you… I like the contacts," he teased, giving me two thumbs up in approval.

I rolled my eyes without comment.

"What'd you find out?" He brought the subject back to the case.

"Well it's definitely a ghost. Deputy Stern said he saw a man follow the third victim, one Martin Johnson, out to the middle of the street. It looks like the ghost raised something over the man's head and then disappeared as soon as Johnson fell."

"Did he get a good look at the ghost?" Jazz probed, kneeling next to the chalk outline.

"No. I mean, if he did, he's in too much shock to remember. He did say that both Johnson and the ghost exited the historical office." I pointed to the opposite side of the street where the building was located. "I'm guessing that historical committee operates out of there. Mr. Johnson was a member of the same group."

Jazz reached out and ran his finger around something on the ground. "You got a flashlight?" he asked, reaching up towards me without looking.

I handed him the pocket flashlight I'd found in the glove compartment.

"What is it?" I asked, squatting down next to him.

"Some kind of…" he clicked the light on. "Plaque or something. Look."

I leaned over and ran my fingers over the spot he shined the light on.

"Let me see the light," I asked. He handed it to me and I could make out a small bronze disc embedded in the street. "Looks like a historical marker or something. 'Sack of Lawrence memorial'," I read.

"Find something boys?" an authoritative voice asked from above.

We looked up to find two feds standing over us.

Jazz sighed. "Nope, Agent Mulder, it's all yours," he said, standing quickly. I elbowed him as I stood.

"We need to report back," I mumbled and we turned to head back to the car.

Jazz slapped the back of my head just before we reached the Impala.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?" I yelled.

We got into the car, Jazz muttering under his breath. "What the hell did you elbow me for?"

"Why do you have to talk to feds like that, Jazz? You know we can do serious prison time for what we just did, right?"

He glared straight ahead as he started the car and drove away from the crime scene.

"You do know what I do for a living right?" he asked with a snide twist of his lip.

"This isn't living," I mumbled under my breath.

I don't know if he heard me or not, but he dropped the argument cold turkey. "So, Sack of Lawrence…mean anything to you?"

I shook my head. "Library?"

He nodded.

"'Course the library probably doesn't open for another three hours or so," I pointed out as I looked at my watch.

Jazz groaned. "Totally could have finished that burger."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

A block from the crime scene we found a small motel. We agreed that we needed a room to freshen up in and possibly get some rest before heading to the library for research.

"I didn't bring enough money for a room," I warned Jazz as we reached the door to the lobby.

He gave me a blank expression. "Huh, neither did I," he offered mockingly. I masked my displeasure with what I knew was coming.

"Hey, we need a room," he said to the twenty-something-year-old brunette behind the counter.

"King or two queens?" she asked as she looked up.

"Two queens," he answered.

"I certainly hope not," she muttered absently as she looked us over. Her eyes traveled up and down our bodies like we were goodies in a shop window.

I frowned. _What the hell did that mean?_

She shook her head and turned back to her computer. "Okay, that will be fifty dollars a night."

Jazz pulled out his wallet and handed her a card.

"Thank you, Mr… O'hara," she pronounced.

Jazz grinned back at me as she ran the card and finished booking the room.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes while in the lobby.

"Still running card scams?" I accused as we walked into our room.

"Hunting doesn't pay much, you know that, Eddie. Anyway, all we do is apply for the cards. It's not our fault they send them to us."

I shook my head in disgust.

"O'hara?" I asked with raised eyebrows.

"What?" Jazz threw back at me as he removed his jacket and shirt. "I was going through a classic Hollywood phase when I requested the card."

I couldn't help but smile at the cocky smirk on his face. My smile faded as I looked at his naked chest.

"Jazz…"

He was covered in scars that matched the one on his cheek. I knew he'd been hurt many times in the past. We had suffered more broken legs and arms, cuts and scrapes than I cared to remember. But these were different.

Jazz's mood darkened and he bent to remove his boots without saying anything else. He headed straight to the bathroom.

I sat down on my bed, wishing that the sound of the shower did what Jazz had been hoping it would—drown out the sound of his tears.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

Three hours, two showers, fresh clothes and some heated glowers later, we found ourselves digging through every historical book we could find at the Lawrence city library.

"I've got it." I motioned for Jazz to drop the book he was looking through and see the article on the computer in front of me.

"Look, in 1856 something called the Bleeding Kansas era began with the _sack of Lawrence_. Shops were looted, the equipment belonging to two anti-slavery newspapers was destroyed and The Free-State hotel was burned to the ground."

"Okay…so the rebels are at it again?" Jazz guessed.

"No. I mean… none of the pro-slavery posse was murdered during the event. I don't think it's them. Angry spirits are born of violent deaths, right?"

Jazz nodded.

"So back to square one," he said. "What's the connecting link between these three victims again? That historical building?"

"Well, more specifically it's that they all belong to a historical committee," I clarified.

"Okay, so we have a ghost, who appears in this historical office to attack the members of some historical committee and bashes their heads in at the memorial site for this pro-slavery demonstration?" Jazz summarized.

"Yeah," I confirmed.

"Great," he responded sarcastically, "that narrows the search down to like a billion different people who died fighting for freedom during the Civil War."

I sighed, hating to admit he was right about that.

"Well, Eddie, I say it's time to clean up the past."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"Hi there, beautiful." Jazz sauntered up to the receptionist's desk. We both were sporting grey workers uniforms and carrying toolboxes.

The blonde seated behind the small desk in the lobby of the Lawrence Historical Society building shot my brother ga-ga eyes upon greeting us.

I tried not to laugh as he leaned over her desk and flirted with her.

I noticed a young woman sitting in a chair near the door. She was dressed in a professional suit with her red hair pulled back in a tight bun. Her hands were folded in her lap and she stared ahead of her like she was patiently waiting for a bus.

I walked over to her, quietly introducing myself. "Hi…my name's Edward." I offered her small smile.

Her eyes wandered in the direction of the sound of my voice. She narrowed those eyes as she realized who was speaking to her.

"Hi," she replied, returning to her previous posture.

"Mrs. Pruitt, you'll have to come back next week," the receptionist announced. The young woman glowered toward the ditzy blonde. "I was promised a meeting today. This is ridiculous, please," the woman pleaded.

"I'm sorry," the receptionist responded. "The committee has been asked to not come to the office until the incidents are taken care of."

"Damn it," Mrs. Pruitt cursed. She stood to leave.

"Is everything okay?" I asked.

She looked back at me as if I was crazy. I suppose it would seem that way to me too, if some random stranger was suddenly interested in helping me. But that was the nature of hunting. I felt a need to protect her from whatever was happening here.

"No," she said. She looked around the office as if the devil himself inhabited the space. "Nothing's sacred anymore." She left quietly.

I turned back to find Jazz still hunched over the receptionist's desk.

"So are you blonde naturally?" he asked, plucking a lock of her hair and fingering it. She giggled.

I cleared my throat. "We're here to work on the plumbing, ma'am," I announced. I shook the toolbox in my hand for emphasis.

"Oh," she squeaked, she looked up at me like she hadn't noticed me standing there until I spoke.

"Go right back," she said, pointing toward a narrow hallway behind her desk.

"Thanks," I told her. I looked at the back of Jazz's head and sighed. I left him to wooing the secretary.

I hung an 'out of order' sign on the men's room door and made sure it was empty before opening the toolbox.

"What in the hell?" I said pulling a contraption from the box just as the door swung open.

"Man oh man," Jazz said, chuckling. "I tell you, Eddie, blondes really do have more fun." He winked suggestively at me.

"Dude, you were only out there for five minutes talking to her," I huffed in disbelief.

_How in the hell did he do that?_

Jazz shrugged. "That's all the time I need."

"What did you find out?"

"Her name is Monica. She enjoys long walks through the woods at night. She's a Gemini and she's flexible."

"Oh, and she's a natural blonde…or at least she assured me the rug matches the curtains." He waggled his brows with the most disgustingly male curve of his lips.

"Jazz, what did you find out about the murders?" I asked patiently.

"Oh," he turned around and locked the door behind him. "She said that the committee members were pretty freaked out about what was going on, and I warned her that we'd be snaking the pipes so everyone needed to be out of here by night fall."

"Snaking the pipes?" I echoed with raised brows.

He chuckled, that damn smug smirk back on his face. "Yeah…I might have been giving her innuendo with that one."

"What's this?" I asked tossing the device that looked like two calculators and radio dial taped together at him.

"Hey, be careful with that," he whined. "This is my homemade EMF reader." He displayed the contraption with pride.

EMF stood for electric magnetic field. Since we were likely dealing with a ghost it made perfect sense that he would bring one along. Ghosts were like balls of energy. They created hot spots wherever they traveled. That's why electricity flickers and storms roll in whenever there's a spirit around.

I snorted. "It looks like a high school science experiment," I teased.

He glared at me. "Well it might not look like much, but it's got it where it counts."

I checked my watch. "It's five fifteen. Sundown won't be for another hour or so."

"Well…I guess we can hang out in here until then," Jazz offered.

I jumped up on the counter and rested back against the mirror. "You wanna talk?" I offered.

"You know…I'm gonna go see if Monica would like her pipes snaked early," Jazz said, pointing toward the door. He unlocked it and ran out before I could complain.

I sat there with my legs dangling over the edge of the counter. I couldn't shake the image of Mrs. Pruitt from my mind. There was only one other person that I'd seen with that kind of determination in their eyes.

Carlisle Cullen.

It was odd, that was the first time since we arrived in Lawrence that I had thought about him. For a trip that was supposed to be all about finding him, it was weird that the case had nothing to do with him.

"Weird is his middle name," I reminded myself.

At six fifteen exactly Jazz came sauntering back through the bathroom door. "Dude, you actually stayed in the bathroom this whole time?"

I shrugged. "Yeah."

He shook his head, laughing at me. I noticed that his shirt was untucked and his lips were swollen from kissing.

"Have fun?" I asked.

He nodded, holding up six fingers. I laughed. It was hard to forget Jasper's women rating scale. Six meant she was good enough to call back.

"Monica told me to lock up when we were done. The place is empty now… oh and we…stumbled upon some important documents I think we might be interested in."

I turned on the EMF device as we walked back down the hall to the main office. The arrow bounced to high levels of activity.

"There's definitely something here," I told him.

"Yeah, Monica said they've been hearing things late at night around here. She said the weirdness started about a month ago, when the committee was formed," Jazz filled me on his probing of the secretary.

"Look," he said handing me a folder from her desk.

"What's this?" I asked as I opened the folder.

"It's a lawsuit filed against the historical society two weeks ago. They want to turn over this whole stretch of street. Put up a mini mall or something. This family, the…uh…Pruitts want to keep it protected in memorial."

I recognized the name instantly. "There was a Pruitt waiting in the lobby when we got here," I told him. "She was pretty pissed that they were sending her home today."

I continued to look over the documents.

"Why would the historical society want to turn over a historical monument?" It didn't make any sense to me. I looked through the file, not sure where this was all leading up to.

"Well, it seems the sack of Lawrence isn't exactly what the city wants to have as its claim to fame. They want to dedicate the mall to freedom, call it the liberty for all mall or some damn idiotic thing like that," Jazz explained.

"Okay, so the Pruitt family is suing the company and the company wants to put up a strip mall, I still don't see where the ghost comes into play." I put the folder back down on Monica's desk.

"You got me there, Eddie. I only had an hour with the woman. And I did have to spend some of the time photocopying her ass."

"Jazz…" I groaned.

"Okay, seriously though, what did the history books say about the sack of Lawrence? Who died that night? I'm thinking whoever lost their life for the cause is probably the most likely candidate to be the person to fight to keep things the way they are."

I booted up Monica's computer. "I don't remember any mention of anyone dying in the event."

I searched for articles on the sack of Lawrence once more.

"Well, maybe it has something to do with this family? The Pruitts? Seems to me you only spend that much energy to defend something if it's your own family involved," Jazz reasoned.

I looked up at him in time to see him turn away and walk to the front window. He had a point. That fire that was deep in Mrs. Pruitt's eyes said it all. This was about more than real estate.

I searched for the key words sack of Lawrence and Pruitt. There was one hit.

"Jazz I think I figured it out," I said in confidence as I read through the article.

"Shit," he whispered.

"What?"

"Duck!" Jazz yelled and I reacted immediately without question.

I could feel a charge in the air as I dove under the desk. Something hard slammed through the edge of the work station, right where I had been sitting.

"Open the toolbox!" Jazz shouted.

I could hear something swinging through the air. Jazz grunted as something hit him.

"You okay?" I yelled.

"Just open the damn box!" he answered.

I crawled around the desk and opened the box like he instructed. I didn't see any of the usual ghost fighting weapons.

"Where's the salt?" I asked.

"Shotgun!" Jazz yelled.

There was a sawed-off double barrel in the toolbox that perplexed me. Gunshots didn't do anything to ghosts. The only thing that came close to harming them was salt.

"Jazz…why?' I shouted, standing up to find him.

He was pinned against the wall a hulking figure holding him down. The man hand one hand wrapped tightly around Jazz's throat and the other was raised above his head holding a brick.

"Shoot it," Jazz rasped.

What he asked seemed insane but I trusted my brother more than I trusted myself. I aimed the shotgun directly at the apparition and fired.

The ghost disappeared on impact. Jazz slid down the wall and flopped on to the ground, gasping for air.

"What the hell?' I said. I couldn't believe my eyes.

"What do you have in this?" I asked walking over to help him stand up.

"Rock salt," he croaked.

"No shit…" I responded. I looked down at the gun.

"Eddie!" Jazz rasped, pointing behind me. "He's back!"

"Come on!" I shouted, grabbing his sleeve and running to the door.

We burst through the door and stumbled out into the street. I knew better than to head toward the marker in the center of the road. People had a nasty habit of dying when they reached that spot. I opted for in the direction of our hotel.

It wasn't that far away. Just a block up the road.

Jazz ran along side me. The only sound in the night was our boots hitting the highway and our combined pants as we booked it with all of our energy.

I saw something moving up ahead. In a moment of panic I threw myself toward the side of the road, clipping Jazz with my trajectory and sending us both hurtling down the slight incline straight into a puddle of mud.

We laid there in the mud for a second, awaiting another attack when a car sped by on the highway.

"Oops," I whispered realizing the ghost hadn't followed us.

I looked over at Jazz. Mud was dripping from his forehead.

"My bad," I told him.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

We tumbled into the hotel room, both of us smelling like shitty dirt. I flopped on to my bed.

Jazz pulled out a container of salt from his duffle bag and ran a solid line across the doorway and along the windows. If the spirit did follow us back to our hotel room he'd have to wait for us in the parking lot. He couldn't cross over the line of salt.

"You wanna take the first round?" Jazz said nodding toward the bathroom.

"Sure," I muttered. I dragged my butt off the bed and grabbed some fresh clothes from his suitcase.

"Uh, thanks again for letting me borrow your clothes," I tossed over my shoulder.

Jazz had the TV remote in his hand and absently nodded in response.

The alarm on my phone beeped. "Oh crap, I almost forgot." I ran out to the car and retrieved the pill bottle from the glove compartment.

Jazz spied me as I went straight to the sink and took two of the little green pills from the bottle.

"You're still taking the meds?" he asked casually.

I swallowed the pills and chased them with some water. I nodded.

"He ever tell you what they're for?"

I met his eyes in the mirror. "What do you mean?" I probed.

Jazz shrugged. "He'd never tell me. I asked him when we were kids…I always wondered why you had to take them and not me. He told me to shut up."

I looked down at the orange prescription bottle. It didn't have a label and the pills were sent to me in the mail from some unknown location. The meds were the one thing in the nineteen years of living on the road with Carlisle that I never once asked him about.

"I'm afraid to not take them," I admitted quietly. I turned to face him, resting against the counter. "I've ran tests on them. I used to sneak into the chem lab at school late at night and do everything I could think of to them. I can't figure out what they are." I shook the bottle in my hand. "And I really can't tell you what they do. But…I don't know…I haven't had the guts to stop taking them to see what happens."

My confession hung in the air of the motel room like mist in the forest.

Jazz glanced back at the TV. I tried to hide the hurt from my face as I realized he was going to shut me out once more.

"I don't know where he is," Jazz whispered.

"Who?" I asked.

"Dad. I've tried to find him…since June."

My mind froze as I tried to make sense of his words.

"But…Charlie…the case…"

Jazz shook his head. "I made that up. I called information when I hit the state border. I didn't even know if there would be a case in Lawrence. I just remember Dad mentioning it once. There was this…I don't know…some event that all hunters talk about in hushed voices. He said a dad and his two sons, who eventually became a family of hunters, once lived here. I kind of hoped if…" Remorse and pain filled his voice. He kept his eyes trained on the TV but I could see them grow glassy with unshed tears.

"Jasper," I whispered. "What happened?"

"I…uh…" he looked up at the ceiling trying to hold the tears in. "I went back. That night we left. I followed you to the bus stop, made sure you were safe. Then I went straight back to the hotel."

I gripped the counter, feeling that same anger well inside of me like it did that night we left.

"Why did you go back?" I half asked and half accused.

Jazz looked me straight in the eye as he lost the battle to not cry. A tear slid down his right cheek.

"Where the hell else do I belong, Edward." He said it flatly. It wasn't a question. It was what he had always called his _truth_.

"You don't have to be a hunter, Jazz," I argued.

He shook his head. "Yeah, well…that's easy for you to say. It's impossible for me to believe."

I hung my head, unable to face the storm brewing in the depths of his eyes.

"Okay, so you went back. Then what?" I clenched my teeth as I listened.

"He was gone. There wasn't any note. No signs that he had ever been there at all."

I felt my own eyes well with tears as I heard the desperation in Jazz's voice.

"I tried to find him. I followed the routes that we normally took. I contacted everyone from Swan to Whitlock. I couldn't find any trace of him. So I started hunting. Charlie set me up with a car and I started my own collection of weapons. Always keeping an eye open for the old man…"

I heard him take a deep breath before finishing his story. "Last week I was working a case in New Mexico. It was a coven…couple of Mary Sues turned Craft bitches. Anyway, when I finished the case…the Impala was parked in the lot behind my motel. The keys were left at the front desk for me."

"He wasn't anywhere around. There wasn't any note with the car…I don't know what possessed me to go to Chicago. I…I think he needs us, Edward."

Tears started to flow from my eyes. "How can you possibly want to help him after the way he treated us?" I defended.

I looked up. Jazz's tears were wiped clean and that same stoic mask was set in place.

"Edward he's our…"

"What? He's _not _our father!" I shouted. Rage flared inside of me like a bonfire. "Jasper you don't even know who your father is! I don't know who mine is! I barely have an idea of who my mother was but…what the fuck is this blind loyalty to that asshole…"

"Enough!" Jazz shouted. He stood up like someone had kicked him in the pants. In five measured and heated strides he was standing in front of me. "Listen to me you spoiled little brat. He may not be our blood, but that man saved us. He raised us and protected us."

"He's the one that put us in danger to begin with," I countered. "I wouldn't fear the monster in my closet if Carlisle Cullen hadn't taught me how to kill it."

"Wishing for ignorance is a stupid waste of time," Jazz offered with a lethal, quiet voice. "Edward I may not know who the people that abandoned me are but I _know _who gave me his name. Gave me a purpose in my life."

He took a step back, running his eyes up and down as if he were sizing me up. "Carlisle Cullen is the only family I've ever known."

He turned back toward the room, collapsing down on the edge of his bed and putting his face in his hands.

"That's not true," I promised quietly. "You've got me. Always."

He scrubbed his hands down his face, drawing in a steadying breath. "Screw it, I'll take the first shower," he muttered and shoved his way past me into the bathroom.

Just before he shut the door he leaned out. I looked up to find him watching me.

"You've always got me too," he vowed.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

I got out of the shower to find Jazz reloading his shotgun.

"Rock salt?" I asked, impressed at the ingenuity. Salt repelled ghosts. Packing shotgun shells with rock salt wouldn't hurt a spirit but it obviously made them think twice about attacking us.

"I came up with it while I was hunting a ghost in Oregon in September. Seemed like a good way to get my message across at the time," he explained.

His words brought back the confession session we'd had when we got back to the room. I didn't know how open he was to sharing still. Knowing Jazz he regretted saying anything at all.

"Look, Jazz…" 

"Shit, Eddie, stop," he whined. He looked up from his gun with a beseeching glare. "No more chick-flick moments."

I smiled, shaking my head. "Alright," I conceded. "Jerk."

He nodded. "Bitch."

"Now, who do you think our invisible friend is?"

"That I can tell you," I got dressed quickly, filling him in on the article that I'd found right before we were attacked. "There was only one casualty of the sack of Lawrence, Sylvester Pruitt. He didn't show up on any of the other reports because he wasn't on either the pro or anti slavery sides of the battle. He was just an innocent bystander."

"Ding, ding, ding," Jazz said. "How did he die?"

"Pruitt was killed by a rock that fell from the Free-State hotel while it was burning," I explained. "It collided with his head, smashing in his skull and killing him instantly."

This was definitely our guy.

"So… Pruitt is going around playing Bunny Foo Foo in revenge for winning guy-in-the-wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time-of-the-century award?"

"Maybe…maybe he's just…I don't know, protecting his family?" I offered.

"These historians aren't attacking anyone are they?" Jazz argued.

"No, but they are threatening his memorial, and it wasn't until his family got involved that he started lashing out," I pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess," Jazz conceded. "So…did you happen to find out where he's buried?"

I nodded my heart was sinking as I told him. "He's buried in the family plot at the edge of town."

"Well pack up, Eddie. Looks like this case is solved."

He slapped my shoulder in gratitude and started to pack his belongings back into his duffle bag.

We drove to the edge of town, finding the cemetery and the Pruitt family plot rather easily even though it was still dark outside.

There were fresh roses laid across his grave that made me miss a step when I saw them.

"What is it?" Jazz asked, stopping next to me a few feet from the grave.

"I don't know. I know he's killing people and that we have to salt and burn his bones to finally put him to rest but…his family is fighting so hard to preserve his memory. It just feels wrong to do this."

Jazz walked past me and started digging.

"It doesn't bother you to do that?" I asked earnestly.

"Edward, it bothers me every time I have to unearth a dead body. It bothers me that someone who is already dead is going around killing people. But this is what we do," he defended. "It's in our blood."

I picked up the second shovel and helped him dig. Six feet of dirt was a bitch and half to move.

We reached the wooden box that encased Sylvester Pruitt just as the sun was beginning to rise.

All I could see was Mrs. Pruitt's face in my mind. The pain would be doubled when she found the grave of her ancestor desecrated.

"Jazz…" I warned, feeling my stomach knot as he bent to break open the coffin.

"Edward, look out!" Jazz shouted.

Two hands grabbed my shoulders and hauled me from the grave like I weighed nothing more than two pounds. I landed against a neighboring headstone. My vision went blurry from the impact.

I could hear Jazz screaming. I saw Pruitt standing above me, a brick clutched tightly in his right hand.

Just as his arm swung toward me he burst into flames. Within seconds the spirit burned away and evaporated into thin air.

Jazz was hovering over me then. "Eddie, talk to me little brother! Eddie!" he kept yelling my name and slapping my cheek to bring me back around.

"I'm okay…Jazz…I'm okay…" I assured him. The air was knocked from my lungs as he suddenly threw his arms around me and hugged me.

"Don't you scare me like that again, you hear me?" he barked.

I hugged him back, feeling a weight lifted from my chest for a split second.

He pulled away and helped me sit up.

We sat in silence watching the flames dispose of the last remains of a once innocent man.

I looked down at the grave that I had fallen against. _Mary Winchester, loving wife and mother,_ I read. Jazz packed up the gear.

"It's amazing isn't it?" I asked him as we returned to the Impala.

"What's that?" he asked with a tired voice.

"How far people will go for their family."

He didn't say anything, but I could see a knowing smile peek out across his lips. He slid a tape into the player.

Highway to hell blared from the speakers as we headed out of town.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

Jazz pulled into the parking stall next to the Volvo. I looked at my phone to check the time—four fifteen a.m.

"Well," I started, breaking the silence in the car. "I guess this is goodbye?"

That smile that Jazz used when selling a con was staring back at me. "Good luck on the whole _normal guy_ thing." He slapped my shoulder as if he was an associate from work and not my brother.

That old familiar conflict bubbled inside me as I got out of the car. I caught a whiff of the leather seats and my mind went straight back to sitting in the back of the Impala, laughing with Jazz as we sang _Rolling Stones _songs as kids.

"Hey, Edward," Jazz hollered through the lowered passenger window. I turned around with a heavy heart and leaned against the frame to look at him one last time. "We made one hell of a team back there."

I nodded, smiling. It was baffling to me how we managed it, but he was right.

"See you around, Jazz." I waved through the window and stepped back. He drove off without another word. I wasn't a mind reader like Tanya told me I was but I couldn't deny the touch of psychic that had been ingrained in my brother and I from the day Carlisle adopted us.

I knew this wasn't the last time I'd see Jasper Cullen.

"Be safe," I whispered as his taillights faded around the darkened corner.

I slid my hands into my pockets, taking a deep breath of the stale garage air.

I supposed other people would spend the walk back to their apartment thinking about what their next step would be. I'd spent six months trying to unlearn everything that had snapped back into my mind like a rubber band the last couple of days. Jazz had a point, being a hunter was in my blood. If I was someone else I'd probably be sweating about what to tell Tanya. I'd worry about what this realization meant for our future.

But I wasn't anyone else. I was me. Edward Cullen.

I stepped off of the elevator and headed to my door, apartment number nineteen-eighteen. I let the past three days wash out of my mind as I thought about Tanya's lips and the taste of her tongue in my mouth.

The lights were off when I entered the apartment. I didn't expect her to be up. I laid my keys on the kitchen table and pulled a cup from the cupboard over the sink. I filled the cup with water and removed the prescription bottle from my pocket. I slammed two of the little green pills back with a swig of water and put the bottle on the counter.

I sighed as headed to our bedroom. There was an exhaustion that went deeper than my bones settling into my body.

"Hey sweetheart," I whispered as I entered the dark bedroom. She didn't respond. That didn't surprise me, Tanya was a heavy sleeper.

I pulled off my shirt and kicked off my shoes, yawning as I sat down on the bed.

"Sweetie?" I asked, drawing my hand up her waist and shaking her gently against her side.

She didn't stir.

I spread my palm against her ribcage. Her chest wasn't moving.

She wasn't breathing.

"Tanya?" I whispered.

Panic gripped me.

The only sound in the room was my breath as it sped.

I leaned over to turn on the bedside lamp.

There are some stories that our parents tell us that become more real than any moment that we actually experience in our lives. You might be told how you looked on the day you were born and though you were not able to view yourself on that day you feel as though the moment is so familiar you can almost believe you saw yourself being born.

I fell back, hitting the ground as my lungs emptied and the scream tore through my very soul.

I felt as though I was having some out of body experience. This wasn't my life. This was the story that I'd been told by my father. The nightmare that once pushed him to give up his normal life.

The moment that sealed all of our fates all those years ago.

I believed it was his late wife, Esme, lying on that bed in front of me and not the person that it truly was.

A redheaded woman with brilliant hazel eyes that were dulled with the loss of life lay in the bed. Her perfect, delicate lips were parted slightly. Her cheeks were drained of the color that had called to me only days before.

I closed my eyes, desperate to wake from the nightmare. I was frantic to erase the image that was burned to the back of my eyelids.

Tanya. Lying dead in our bed. Her throat slashed and her blood dried on our sheets.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**A/N: Thanks for reading!**

**Lyrics: **_**Iron man **_**by Black Sabbath**

**Lyrics: **_**Back in Black **_**by AC/DC**

**Lawrence, Kansas trivia:**

**Lawrence, Kansas is the hometown of the characters Dean and Sam Winchester in the show **_**Supernatural**_**. **

"**Bleeding Kansas**** (Bloody Kansas, or the Border War): (1854-1858) a period of violent events between anti-slavery and pro-slavery groups in the Kansas territory and frontier lands of Missouri. This bloody struggle was a predecessor to the Civil War." (Resource: Wikipedia, Bleeding Kansas)**

"**In 1856 a pro-slavery posse burned The Free-State Hotel, destroyed the equipment of two anti-slavery newspapers and looted several businesses in what was called the sack of Lawrence. One man was killed, struck dead from a stone falling from the burning hotel." (Resource: Wikipedia, Lawrence Kansas)**


	3. Chapter 2: December 30th, 2009

**A/N: Thanks for reading! ****Thanks to everyone who takes the time to review too! I'll have sneak peeks of the next chapter for everyone who reviews this one. **

**I don't own any rights to either Twilight or Supernatural or any recognizable trademarks there of. Just having fun.**

**PoV will change a lot in this story. This world exists for all of these characters and each sees it in a different way. **

**This fic is rated M for maturity. The main characters may lack that from time to time but I do ask that you read responsibly. **

**Thank you to my prereaders and to my wonderful beta- TwilightMomofTwo. Your support means everything to me! *one side note is that I use slang with a lot of my characters. If something is grammatically incorrect it's on purpose and not a mistake of TMoT. Thanks!**

**Enjoy.**

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"**Tell me that you're not a thief**

**Oh but I am bad company**

**It's the way I play dirty for dirty."**

**(Bad Company, Bad Company)**

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Then****:**

**(December 31****st****, 2002)**

"_Why'd you run off like that?" I scolded. I couldn't believe she could be so dumb. Hadn't our dads warned us what was going down tonight?_

_I heard her crying when I found her. She was hidden back behind the shed, her knees pulled up against her chest._

"_Shut up, Cullen," she barked through a fresh wave of tears._

_In that typical way the universe loved to ram my ass whenever I was around this girl, the sky suddenly let loose a monsoon of water. I was instantly drenched, but I didn't let that bother me. I just stood there, glaring down at the ten year old bane of my existence. _

_I shoved my hands in my pockets, silently counting to ten. _

"_We need to go inside," I reminded her._

_Her big brown eyes shot daggers up at me._

"_I'm fine out here, thanks," she spat._

"_Look, Iz…" I felt a sudden pang of remorse strike my chest when I looked into her eyes. _

_Damn her for that. _

"_I said shut up, Edward. I'm not interested in going back in there and having you two continue to humiliate me. I'll take my chances with the creature my dad's hunting out here."_

"_We're sorry okay? We didn't…"_

"_Edward! Drop it! I don't give a crap if you're sorry. Now leave me alone!" She jumped to her feet and stormed off further into the forest._

"_Crazy bitch!" I yelled after her. _

_I knew the second the words left my lips I'd regret saying that for the rest of my life. Iz didn't turn around and confront me. When our dads got back she didn't say a word to Charlie about the way Jazz and I had treated her. _

_In fact, she acted like I didn't exist at all._

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Now:**

**(December 30****th****, 2009)**

**Lesson two: Never leave your gun in the car**

"_Edward? What's up, little bro?"_

"_Jazz…you got…Come back…Now…Tanya…Oh God! Please…just…"_

"_Slow down, little brother. I'm turning around right now. Keep talking to me, Eddie. What happened? What about Tanya?"_

"_Dead…so much blood…"_

"_Edward…what the hell happened? Did you call the cops? Demon? Are you okay!"_

"_Hurry...Esme…it's just like Esme."_

"_Shit…You stay on the phone with me, Eddie. I'll be there as soon as I can."_

"_I never should have left."_

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Jazz PoV: (Phoenix, Arizona) **

"I never should have left," he muttered in his sleep before turning on his side and snoring.

I scowled.

He snored like a chick.

It got pretty damn annoying after the first two seconds of listening to it, too.

I turned the radio up. I didn't give two cigs in prison if it woke him. I'd rather deal with his cranky ass whining than that damn girlie snorting through his tiny little nostrils.

Stopping at the crossroads two miles from town, I pushed my sleeve back far enough on my wrist to read the time.

Nine p.m.

"Awesome," I grumbled to myself.

Princess Buttercup snorted extra loud in response.

"That does it." I backhanded his chest, feeling him jump to alertness instantly. "Yo, Eddie, we're here."

"What!" he yelled. He blinked his drooping eyelids and looked around, that annoyingly slacked jaw of his hung lower as he yawned.

"Phoenix," I announced, waving my hand toward the dark two lane road ahead of us.

He smacked his lips. "Please tell me we have a room booked for tonight?"

I laughed and tapped the gas pedal ever so gently. There were times I wondered if the months Edward spent in Chicago had changed everything about him. When he said things like that, well hell it just didn't seem like he remembered our childhood at all. But then I would remember all too well how different Edward had always been growing up.

"No, uh, sorry I forgot to phone the Ritz while I was driving fifteen hours straight. Next time," I promised sarcastically.

He glared at me with bloodshot eyes and I offered him a half smirk.

"We're staying at Charlie's house," I reminded him.

The groan that followed tickled me a bit.

"Do we have to stay with him?" he whined.

_Yep, some things never change._

"Uh, yeah, Eddie. It's free room and board. Plus, Charlie called us for a reason. It would be plain rude to not accept his offer to stay at his house."

Mr. Sleepyhead flopped back in his seat, his lower lip pouted out like a child.

"Will _she _be there?"

I snorted and flipped on the signal to turn right.

"Probably. She _is_ his daughter." Leave it to Edward to hold on to his childhood grudges.

"She hates us, you know?" he claimed.

I shook my head, chuckling under my breath. "No way, man. She hates _you._ She's indifferent about me," I clarified.

Edward sighed, turning his head in my direction and watching me quietly. He didn't have to say anything for me to understand how he felt. The uncertainty of our immediate future was like smog filling the Impala.

"I never should have left," he whispered.

_Damn broken record_, I thought sardonically. I couldn't argue with the sentiment but he needed to get a new theme song.

He moaned that phrase every time he closed his eyes. Whispered it each time he spent two seconds inside his head.

I wasn't exactly sure if he was talking about leaving the family last June or if he meant coming with me to Lawrence. Either way, the self-loathing was bordering on the suffocating side.

I rolled my window down and let the crisp winter air clear my head. We were in the middle of Arizona so it wasn't freezing, but there was a chill on the wind that did lovely things to the back of my neck.

I took a deep, settling breath.

"We couldn't stick around there any longer, Eddie," I offered as gently as possible.

He nodded and turned to watch the town through the side window. I left him to his thoughts. I could feel the guilt rolling off of him in waves. It was an easy emotion to register.

I carried enough of it myself.

"How long has it been?" he asked as I turned down the dirt road that led back to Swan Ranch.

"Dunno, maybe six, seven years?" I guessed. "Have we been back since Renee died?"

His head bobbed up and down quickly. "That was the last time we were here. Right after…it was New Year's Eve. That was the night we…" he huffed without finishing his thought.

He turned back to looking out of the side window and I laughed under my breath. It didn't matter how many years we put between us and this place, Edward couldn't deny his connection to that girl.

"So…I hear she graduated early." I threw the information out there like the worm it was meant to be. After fifteen years of living with Edward I still knew exactly what buttons to push.

"No shit?" He looked over at me and then back to the window, folding his arms over his chest. "She'll probably be full of herself over that shit too," he muttered to himself.

I laughed out loud and parked next to the barn at the side of Swan Ranch.

"What?" he asked with that perturbed frown he always got when I was getting under his skin.

I shot him a look of pure innocence. "Nothing, Eddie, nothing at all."

He continued to mumble under his breath as we exited the Impala and walked to the front porch. I was practically ready to giggle when I reached out to knock on the screen door.

The door opened the exact second my hand hit the wood.

"Hey, Charlie…" I said before I realized it wasn't the mustache sporting middle-aged retired Sheriff that I was greeted by.

"Well, if it isn't little Isabella Swan herself," I drawled in genuine surprise. "It is you, isn't, Iz?"

It was pitch black outside and the lone glow from the porch light distorted her features through the screen door. Even without a full view, however, there was a part of me that hoped the brunette beauty staring at us wasn't little Iz. Time, not to mention puberty, had been very kind indeed. Those big brown eyes and permanent scowl couldn't be mistaken, though.

_She looks just like Renee, _I thought, remembering the numerous times we'd bunked at Swan house growing up. Charlie and Renee practically adopted us boys as family when we were growing up. The memory of Renee's brown eyes making me feel like I had a mother competed with the lust that raised my body temp as I ran my eyes down Iz's pert little body.

_I am so going to hell. _

Iz offered a weak smile as she realized who we were. She cautiously opened the screen to let us in and backed up

"Come on, Izzie," I said, noticing that there was a line of salt along the doorway. I crossed over the purity line and opened my arms for a hug. Iz took another cautious step back. She narrowed her eyes at me when we were both still again.

"I'm trying to recall a time when I've ever hugged you, Jasper," she informed me.

I shrugged. _Best_ _line of defense is to admit you're a pervert_.

"I don't remember you having that amazing rack before. Can't blame a guy." I tried to laugh the moment off but immediately I could sense the mood in the room shift to awkward and uncomfortable.

I looked back to Edward for help. He scowled and punched me in the back.

"She's only seventeen, you moron," he hissed under his breath.

I looked back to jailbait and shrugged apologetically.

_Yep, definitely going to hell._

Immediately I felt like her mother was looking back at me through her eyes. Iz rolled those sweet brown eyes in obvious disgust.

"I'm assuming you're here to see Dad?" she asked, turning on her heel and heading toward, if I remembered correctly, the kitchen.

I glanced back over my shoulder for a second. She hadn't even shot a snide comment off at Edward, much less said hello. Come to think of it, she didn't even look at the boy.

_I was just kidding about the whole "she hates you" thing, sheesh._

We followed her through the darkened house. The old place hadn't changed much since we'd last visited, though the piles of books scattered through each room seemed to be taller than I remembered.

"Your dad is still collecting manuscripts?" Edward asked conversationally.

Iz kept walking like she'd suddenly gone deaf.

I looked back at Edward again. He was looking at the ceiling, sighing like a teenage girl who was just told her cell phone had been turned off.

"What's up with that?" I whispered to him quickly.

He shot me a what-you-talkin'-bout-Jazz look.

"Why is she pretending you're invisible?" I asked bluntly.

His face hardened into lines of pure rage. "Just follow her," he ordered.

I shrugged and did as he told me. I couldn't decide if I would need to tease him about this turn of events later or not.

"So…where is the good Chief of Police?" I asked casually as we joined Iz in the kitchen. She was pulling a bottle of water from the fridge. It was one of those bottles with the squirt top.

"He's…" she started as she turned toward us.

I yelped as I was met with a sudden spray of freezing cold water in my face. I could hear Edward's echoed shout of protest a second later. I spit the excess water that had run down my face from my lips and rubbed the water from my eyes. I glared at the petite brunette but didn't question why she did what she did.

"He's out back," she finished flippantly and put the bottle back in the fridge before heading back toward the center of the house.

"Why…that…what…what the hell was that!" Edward bitched as I led us out the backdoor.

I chuckled. "It was holy water, Eddie, she was just being precautious." It was pretty slick actually. There was no doubt that she was Charlie Swan's daughter.

"She just splashed blessed water in our faces? For what purpose?"

"Stop being such a grumpy puss," I taunted, pouting my lips like the petulant child he was being. "You know why people use holy water, and salt, and all this other crap around the house and even the arsenal in the trunk of our car. Or did you forget since three days ago why you decided to give up on college?"

He punched my back a second time and I let him have the hit. It actually made me laugh. Edward was always such a hippie chick in his youth. Seeing him embrace a more physical and somewhat violent way of expressing his emotions was refreshing.

"Hey boys!" a familiar voice shouted as we rounded the corner to the old metal shed out behind the house. There was one large flood light that clicked on as we entered the range of its motion sensor.

"Hey, Charlie!" we shouted back in unison.

_It seriously creeps me out when we do that._

A very familiar face stepped into the light, smiling and reaching a hand out in welcome.

"Charlie," I greeted as he grabbed my hand and shook it.

"Jasper," he replied with a nod.

"And hells bells, is that really you, Edward?" he asked, turning to my brother and shaking his hand with the same vigor.

"Yeah…uh…hey, Charlie," Edward stammered, clearly unsure how to handle the affection.

I shook my head.

_Edward and his damn obvious emotions._

"I was starting to think you boys had stopped for the night," he explained, glancing at his watch. "You hungry? When was the last time you ate?"

Charlie started to head back toward the house and we knew automatically that whatever he was working on in the shed was off limits in the conversation department for the moment.

That was probably for the best. I was too damn tired to want to worry about whatever case he needed help with. The past couple weeks in Chicago had taken a lot out of me. Scratch that. The last six months had taken a lot out of me.

"We ate in Flagstaff," I told him. "I wouldn't say no to a beer, though."

Charlie chuckled as he walked up the back steps. "I still find it hard to believe you're old enough to drink."

I laughed and stopped to watch him walk into the house. Edward caught up to me and stopped next to me.

"Should I tell him that I've been drinking since I was fifteen?" I teased.

Edward shrugged. "Didn't he arrest you for that first underage DUI?"

I laughed and started up the steps. "I even had you drinking that night."

Edward groaned as he followed me. "Please don't remind me. You're the reason that even the smell of alcohol makes me nauseous to this day."

"Really? What do you do when you go to bars?"

"I don't go to bars…I'm nineteen, they don't let me in."

I quirked a brow. "But what about your fake ID's?"

Edward shook his head. "I don't use them, Jazz. I _like _being honest with people. And I don't mind not drinking. I'm not that big on…losing it."

I stopped us again just before we reached the door.

"Losing what?"

Edward sighed, shoving his hands in pockets and glaring off in the distance.

"Control?" I guessed.

He didn't respond but I could feel an acknowledgment from the tension in his body.

_If there ever was a person who needed to lighten the fuck up, _I thought.

"Losing it isn't all that bad, Eddie. Sometimes it's all that keeps you from completely _losing it_."

"Shut up and go inside, please," he whined.

I conceded and returned to the kitchen to find Charlie rummaging through the fridge.

"Here you go, Jazz," Charlie said, handing me a cold beer. Every muscle in my body relaxed at just the sight of the bottle.

"Sorry, Edward, but you _are_ under age," he pointed out and handed Copper-hair a Coke instead of a brew.

"Thanks," Edward replied without any fuss.

"Don't worry about it, Charlie," I assured him. "Edward isn't interested in drinking. He doesn't like to…what was it, Eddie? Lose it?"

Edward rolled his eyes and I blew him a kiss.

"That's too bad," a female voice announced suddenly behind us. I turned to see Iz walking into the kitchen.

"All work and no play…" she quoted, clucking her tongue teasingly.

I smirked.

"Makes Edward…well, Edward," I finished. We all shared a laugh at my poor nerdy brother's expense. I quickly stifled my glee with a swig from the bottle in my hand, though. I could see Edward's jaw clenching tight and could swear I heard him counting to ten.

"I need to borrow the truck," Iz said, turning to Charlie.

I would love to claim it was hunter training that had me make mental notes of the outfit she'd changed into and guessing at the different scenarios that would require her taking a drive this late at night. But it was pretty obvious that her low-cut red top and tight blue jeans, coupled with her freshly glossed lips and the scent of freesia floating in the room spelled only one thing.

"You got a hot date?" I asked, jokingly.

Iz glared at me over her shoulder, while Charlie shot me a disgruntled look. I looked behind me to find Edward joining in the moody parade.

I shrugged, taking another swig of my beer.

"If you must know," she explained through tight lips. "I'm meeting some friends for study group. We have a project due in a couple of weeks."

"Weeks?" I echoed. "Why work on it now?"

Iz shot me a look that took me straight back to the one week that I'd spent at a real high school. Suddenly I was sitting in detention with Mrs. Butler pursing her lips in disapproval at my attitude towards homework.

I cleared my throat and took another drink from my beer.

"So…you're in school? I mean…what school…I…uh….college, is it?"

I turned, bottle still pressed against my lips, to look at my goofball of a brother. Edward fumbled around his question like it was a game of hot potato. My eyebrows rose when I noticed that the tips of his ears were pink.

I rolled my eyes, realizing that I was stuck in the middle of an after school special.

Iz took one long, slow look up and down Edward from across the room. A contemptuous sneer raised her upper lip for a second before she spoke.

"Community college," she spat. "It's not Northwestern…but the dropout rates are substantially lower."

I could hear Edward suck in a sharp breath and I was pretty damn sure he was counting to ten inside his head again. Luckily he didn't rise to her taunt. Charlie was searching the counter above the kitchen sink, missing the meat of the exchange.

"There's not a damn thing wrong with going to community college, Bells," he said as he turned around with a retrieved spare set of keys in his hand.

Iz plastered a fake smile across her beautiful face as he passed the key to her.

"Education is education whether on the streets or in some damn preppy school." He nodded firmly to stress his words and then a thought struck him. "Oh…not that there's anything wrong with fancy universities either, Edward," he added hastily.

_Is this the most awkward night of my life or what?_

Edward cleared his throat and cracked open his can of cola. He pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and sat with the can as if it were aged whiskey.

Iz rolled her eyes, leaning in to kiss her father on the cheek.

"Take your flask," Charlie commanded as she leaned back on her heels.

"Dad," she started to complain.

"Don't you _Dad _me, young lady."

"I'm going to be at the school library with some _friends_," she assured him. "If you don't think I've spilled holy water on each of them already…"

"Your friends aren't the only people living outside of this house," Charlie warned sternly. "Isabella, please. For me….this week…more than ever. Just…_please_."

The bitch façade faded away for a second and Iz looked up at her dad with eyes that reflected a pain everyone in this room could commiserate with.

"Okay," she said softly, nodding gently and kissing his cheek one more time. "It's in my room. I'm expecting one of my friends any minute. Please," she asked, shooting a warning glare toward Edward and me. "Don't embarrass me."

She sprinted out of the room and up the stairs. Seconds later, there was a knock on the front door.

"Well, boys," Charlie said, clapping his hands. "Whaddaya say we go check this _friend _out?"

I sat my beer down on the kitchen table with enthusiasm. I considered Iz's warning a challenge.

"Jazz?" Edward grabbed my elbow as Charlie left the room. "Please don't be stupid. Just…please."

I smiled at my little brother but made no promises. The heavy sigh that followed me from the kitchen made me laugh.

Charlie reached the front door just as Iz streaked down the stairs, throwing her body across the door so he had to step back.

"Isabella Marie...what on earth?" he grumbled.

"Dad, you promised." She took a deep breath, smoothing her bangs back with nervous fingers.

Charlie, Edward and I stood in the entryway like a firing squad. With one last beseeching glance Iz opened the front door.

"Hi," she greeted the person on the other side of the screen.

"Hey Isabella," a male voice responded. The three of us leaned toward the door in unison to get a glimpse of the boy.

"And good evening to you, young man," Charlie said, as he stepped forward and pushed the screen door open so that we had a better view.

An annoyed growl came from behind the over protective father. Iz stepped around him, her cheeks were bright red.

"This is Seth Clearwater," she announced, waving her hand toward the tall kid standing on the porch.

"Seth, this is my dad…and…his…_friends_."

"Chief Swan, it's a pleasure to meet you, sir. Isabella has told us so much about you." The kid reached out to shake Charlie's hand and I could tell Charlie was more at ease when the kid was undisturbed by the salt line across the doorway.

_Who's us? _I thought. I shook my head with a quiet laugh. Just like Charlie, I couldn't turn the hunter in me off even if I wanted to.

"Aw, there's no need to call me Chief," Charlie assured the kid. "I've been retired going on seven years now."

The house fell silent as he said it. Seth was standing on the porch all smiles and respect, but those of us in the house felt a somber mood of remembering take hold.

We knew why Charlie had to retire seven years ago.

I sized up the kid on the porch out of self preservation. I'd spent enough time lately wandering down emo-lane with Edward. Making a mental checklist about this Clearwater boy was a welcome distraction. He was easily six-five, dark hair, tan skin and he had this obnoxiously bright white smile from a mouth full of teeth. He wore cutoff jean shorts and tennis shoes with no shirt.

"Don't you own a shirt?" I asked randomly. Edward nudged my side with his elbow. I shot him a look that warned I'd tap him back when I got a chance. The pained smile planted on my kid brother's face warned me now was not the time for me to be…well, me.

"Sorry, what I meant was, hi, I'm Jasper." I reached out to shake the kid's hand.

"Seth," he repeated, grabbing my hand with enthusiasm.

My entire arm wobbled as he shook my hand up and down. "That's some handshake you've got there," I muttered as he finally released me. I squeezed my hand into a fist a few times to work out the sting from his grip.

"I'm stronger than I realize, I guess," he joked.

I offered a fake laugh but looked down at my fingers as Charlie told them to be safe and careful. There were red marks already appearing on my skin.

"Damn, that kid is strong," I muttered to myself.

"Bells, one a.m. and not a second later," Charlie commanded before shutting the front door.

"What's wrong?" Edward whispered.

I met his eyes with confusion in my own. "That kid wasn't normal," I said flatly.

"That's why I called you boys."

"What is it?" Edward asked.

Charlie sighed, putting his hands on his waist like a cop staring down at a crime scene.

"Werewolves."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"Wait…what? Werewolves…like…wolves…like dudes that turn into dogs…children of the moon… Jack Nicholson, Michael J. Fox, David Kessler eating his best friend… unreasonably hairy guys…werewolves?" I rambled on and on. The thoughts tumbled directly from my brain and out of my mouth like verbal diarrhea.

I just couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"There's no such thing," Edward offered calmly.

We'd moved into Charlie's office. Charlie was parked behind his big antique desk while Edward leaned against the fireplace, blocking what little heat the small fire inside it was giving off. I paced from one end of the room to the other. I felt like the unsuspecting chucklehead in some bad B movie.

"No, they exist, we just never found any proof before now is all," _Dr. Harker_ insanely pointed out.

Charlie searched through the pile of books at the edge of the desk. He slipped on a pair of reading glasses and opened a red, leather-bound book.

"Werewolf lore dates back to the beginning of time. It's practically the oldest supernatural myth there is," he reasoned.

"What the hell do you mean?" I barked.

"It's the best way to explain animalistic actions in humans…duality in nature…" Charlie shrugged as he flipped through the pages.

"There's an Ancient Greek myth about the Neuri, which was said to be a tribe transformed into wolves for several days each year… Hungarian folklore has the wolf myth set in the Middle Ages and it was a curse, born of an abusive childhood. More modern beliefs include the biting and transforming based on the phases of the moon legends," Edward rattled off as if he was giving a speech in front of a literature class. "Several Native American legends have shape-shifting warriors, lots of them dealing with wolves and they consider these wolves to be _protectors_."

"But none of it is _real_," I defended. "It's all stories! Dad…you," I pointed at Charlie, "you both always told us that werewolves were pure myth. What…next you're gonna tell us that fairies and vampires are real too?"

Charlie sighed and peered at me over his glasses. "Son, I think you've got to embrace a healthy dose of impossible when you do this job. We hunt ghosts and goblins. We burn witches and pour salt across doorways. Who they hell are we to say what's _real_?"

I stopped pacing and stood in front of the fire, losing myself in the roll and furl of the flames.

_Trust your gut, son. _Dad's words echoed in my head. I wanted to do what he said, but my guts had been torn out of my body for the last six months.

I was flying blind.

"I just can't believe it," I whispered.

"Look," Edward said, flopping down in one of the chairs in front of Charlie's desk. "For the sake of argument, why don't you tell us about the case, Charlie? We'll label the creature when we get ready to kill it."

I leaned a hand against the hearth and looked back over my shoulder toward Charlie.

He took his glasses off and settled back into his leather chair. "I don't know, really. It's hard to…there's a lot of history in this case, I guess you could say…the last time we went up against this, things didn't turn out so good."

"Last time?" I echoed.

Charlie averted his eyes in the direction of the window. A full moon illuminated the trees in the front yard.

"Yeah…it's sort of… the last case I worked with your dad."

_Now that gets my attention. _

"You mean this has to do with…Renee?" Edward's voice was hushed with emotions.

If I had known this case was going to be about Charlie digging up the day his wife was killed I would have left Edward in Chicago. It was too damn soon for him to deal with this shit.

"Renee wasn't killed by a werewolf…was she?" I tried to think back to that night seven years ago.

I couldn't remember Dad telling us any specifics about the creature they were hunting on New Year's Eve. We were cooped up in this house for two solid days on that trip. There were strict orders to not go outside after dark.

"At the time we thought it was a Wendigo. Then we figured out it was more of an… an animal…we even threw around the idea of Bigfoot...then the damn thing disappeared. It wasn't until recently that I realized what it really is."

"What's the M.O.?" I asked, sitting in the chair next to Edward.

"I haven't figured that out yet," he confessed.

"So… how do you know what you're dealing with?" I pressed skeptically.

"There're signs. The same ones as before, only this time…the more I read about werewolves the more it makes sense."

I scoffed, raising an eyebrow in challenge.

"Look, all I know is…well, you saw that kid, Seth?"

We nodded.

"He was maybe five-five and a little chubby around the middle when Bells first met him."

"And when was that? High school?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.

Charlie shook his head, his eyes darkening. "No, it was at the beginning of the semester, in September. In less than four months that kid has grown nearly a foot. He's thinned out…he's even aged. He looks at least five years older than he did at the start of the school year too."

"So the kid had a growth spurt. It happens," I argued. I pointed at Edward, "he used to be shorter than me until he started…"

"The sixth grade," Edward teased, laughing like an idiot. I glared at him.

"There's growth spurts and then there's unnatural changes. I've watched that kid. That happened over night, trust me."

"Hang on," I said holding up my hand. I contemplated my next words carefully. "If you know so much about this kid, why did Seth act like tonight was the first time he's met you?"

Charlie snorted. "Son, not only am I an experienced bullshitter in the hunting biz, I've got twenty years of training from the force. You don't think I did background checks on all the people my daughter met when she went off to college?"

I laughed. "Wow, I always thought Dad was intrusive."

"He was," Edward interjected. I threw him a look in time to see the bitter twist of his lips.

Charlie cleared his throat and pressed on. "Yeah… well, I can't put my finger on what's happened to that boy, but you saw the way he's dressed? And his hand…he felt warm to me."

Charlie kept listing all the minute details that made the kid different. I suddenly felt sorry I'd questioned the poor boy.

"Chuck, you ever consider the possibility that…oh I don't know…you're just paranoid about your daughter meeting people?"

Charlie propped his elbows on to the desk and leaned forward with narrowed eyes. "You're not too old for me to wallop you, boy," he threatened.

I swallowed slowly. He wasn't joking on that one.

"Alright, just…Charlie I don't get it either. How are you coming up with it being a werewolf or even that it's connected to Renee's death?" Edward probed.

Charlie's face turned to stone and he stood up suddenly. "Maybe calling you boys was premature," he mumbled.

"Hey now, we're here to help you, Charlie," I protested. I didn't have a clue what it was we were here to help him with but I didn't want him thinking we wanted to leave.

"There's a spare bunk upstairs in the attic and the couch in the living room over there is kind of comfy. Spare blankets are in the hall closet by the front door," he told us as he quickly left the room.

Once we were alone I stared at the open book on his desk.

"Well…that was weird."

"Yeah," Edward agreed. "But…I think it has everything to do with Renee."

I leaned forward and dragged the book across the desk to scan the pages. I didn't acknowledge Edward's words. Going down the road of regrets of actions that led to dead lovers was gonna make me puke at that moment.

"Wish we could be more help to him." I really did. Dad would have known exactly what to do right now. He would have reassured Charlie, set up a strategy and been knee-deep in the investigation by now.

I was just lost.

"I'll take the couch," Edward offered.

I smirked. "You still think the attic is haunted?"

"You know…that was a stupid joke back then. It's juvenile and moronic now."

I looked over at him in mock disbelief.

"Juvenile and moronic?" I repeated. "Is there a better definition of me?"

He sighed and stood to leave.

"Just don't start that shit up with Iz again, please."

I nodded halfheartedly and finished reading the page that had served as a good distraction. I barely heard the door open and close.

"Shape-shifting warriors called upon for the protection of the tribe received the curse through a blood ritual," I read. "The curse was imprinted on their blood, and held in wait until such a time as a great threat was sensed. Once the ritual took place, forever would the warrior live two lives—one of man, and one of beast."

I ran my fingers over the drawing at the bottom of the page—A twisted form of half man, half wolf.

"What the hell happened seven years ago?"

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**(December 30****th****, 2002)**

"_Get up," Dad said, nudging my shoulder hard._

_I groaned but sat up. _

"_What's up?" I croaked. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, trying to get my bearings. _

_I remembered that we had stopped just outside of Phoenix last night. We were staying at the Motel Luna. It was a themed motel, the kind I hated the most. The stupid plastic wolf at the front desk was still etched in my memory._

"_Isabella is going to stay with you guys today. I've got to go with Charlie. Stuff to look into. I want you to wait until dusk and drive over to the Swan Ranch. Take Edward and Iz with you. You three stay in the house until Charlie and I get back."_

_I nodded. "Yes, sir," I said without question._

"_I mean it, Jazz. Don't let them leave the house. Keep your shotgun next to you," he commanded, putting his hands on my shoulders. I met his eyes with obedience in my own._

"_I'll protect them, sir," I promised._

"_Good." He nodded and slapped my shoulder. Without another word he stormed out of the room, tossing the keys to the Impala to me when he reached the door. _

_He stepped to the side to let Charlie and Iz into the room._

"_I'll be right out," Charlie told him._

_I stood up to shake Charlie's hand. It had been a few months since we were in Phoenix. I'd missed the Swans. _

"_Hey Charlie," I greeted him quietly, not wanting to wake Edward._

_My hand fell limply back to my side as Charlie looked in my direction. His hands were on Iz's shoulders. His eyes were unfocused and glazed over. His face was pale. _

_Agony and despair was filling the motel room with each breath he pushed from his lungs. _

"_I'll protect her, Charlie, I promise." _

_The Police Chief nodded his head absently, squeezing his hands on the tiny shoulders of his daughter. _

"_Thanks son," he whispered. He turned Isabella around to face him. "I'll be back tonight, Bells. I…I'm so sorry baby girl." _

_He hugged the girl awkwardly, like she was a random stranger and not his daughter._

_Iz didn't make a sound. Charlie left and I locked the deadbolt behind him. Iz just stood there in the same spot where he left her._

"_You want to get some sleep? You can take my bed. I was just getting up," I told her. _

_She just stood there like she was all alone. _

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Edward PoV: **

I stretched as I sat up. I looked at my watch and noticed I'd only slept about an hour.

_That's longer than yesterday, _I reminded myself.

Stretching some more, I headed into the kitchen. My hands were shaking as I walked.

_Residual anxiety from the nightmare_, I figured. I'd had that same dream again.

_Tanya is lying in our bed, her eyes bright and loving as she tells me to be safe. I lean in to kiss her goodbye and feel something drip on to my hand. I notice a single drop of red stained on the back my hand. _

_I look up to find blood trickling from her perfect lips. _

"_You left me!" she croaks as her head tilts back and her neck is sliced open suddenly. _

_There's so much blood. A river. It pours from her throat and rushes down her body to wash over my hands. _

I shook my head to try to block the memory from my mind. I didn't want to ever see her like that again…but it was my fault.

I deserved to see her die in my dreams every night because it was all my fault. The investigators determined that she had been killed the night I left with Jazz. It twisted my heart to know that she had been lying dead in our bed the entire time I was in Lawrence.

I wasn't sure if I had talked in my sleep again or not. I prayed that I hadn't. It was bad enough that Jasper looked at me with pity in his eyes every time I woke up from a nightmare. I didn't need Charlie and Iz feeling sorry for me too.

I steadied my hands with the business of taking my nightly pills. I shook the bottle as I swallowed.

_Almost empty, _I thought.

I didn't worry about how I'd get a refill once the pills were gone. Ever since I could remember, when the bottle was finally empty a full bottle would be waiting for me the next time I needed to take the pills. It didn't matter what city we were in or even if we were staying in a motel or just sleeping in the Impala. I knew a fresh bottle would be waiting for me in two days.

I lied to Jazz back in Lawrence. I told him that I didn't have any clue what the pills were.

I had my theories.

Ones that I wanted to keep to myself for the rest of my life. I had stupidly thought if I just didn't let anyone know what I was thinking… Tanya and I could live a normal, happy life. Jazz could go back to hunting creatures in the darkness…My theories couldn't possibly be true.

"I never should have left," I whispered, leaning against the counter as the fresh wave of tears hit me like a bus.

_I had the answers with me all along_. _I should have told Jazz what I'd found._

The only clear results that I could pull from the tests were traces of Agapanthus orientalis, or Lily of the Nile. It was a rare flower that originated in South Africa. There were few areas in the States where you could find it. The flower was poisonous to ingest. Even handling the flower could lead to death.

_It was rare but there are places that you can find it._

After researching the flower at school I remembered a case we were working in Washington about five years ago. Teenagers were disappearing on the local Native American reservation. Dad worked closely with one of the town elders, an old woman. He said she had _the gift. _I remembered seeing that flower growing in pots in her house.

She used it for one purpose - hoodoo. Dark magic. And I was forced to take the pills laced with the flower every day since I was a child.

There had to be something dark…something bad inside me.

I slid the bottle back into my pocket and headed out the back door to take a walk and clear my head. I wandered around the side of the house and leaned against the hood of the Impala to watch the moon that was filling the night sky.

Until that moment I couldn't admit to myself why I'd kept that information from Jazz when he asked me about the pills. I now understood that it was for the same reason that I used to sneak into the bathroom late at night to take my daily dose and keep it a secret from Tanya. The same reason I refused to ask Carlisle about the pills the entire time I lived with him.

There was something dark inside of me that the pills were meant to control.

I just knew it.

And that scared the shit out of me.

"I never should have left," I whispered.

I don't know how long I stood there. My mind wandered back through the months I'd spent with Tanya. We were so happy. I'd never felt like that about anyone before her. To feel just… happy. Content. I asked her to move in with me after only knowing her for a few weeks.

That was so unlike me.

From the minute I could speak I lied about my name. I fabricated my past. Every piece of information about me was fictional. Carlisle trained us well and I was good at playing my part. We were always moving. Always cautious. Guarded. I was careful.

But not with Tanya.

"_You left me…"_

I was pulled from my memories by the sound of laughter. I looked toward the front road and saw Iz with a group of guys walking toward the driveway. The scene was strange enough to attract my attention. The boys were all around the same age, same height. All dressed the same, like Seth was dressed when he picked Iz up. Those cut off shorts and no shirt. It was like they were some weird Chippendale dancer gang.

_Fraternity, maybe? Worst pledge dare ever. _Out of the blue a cold wind whipped through the dark desert night. I shivered as the chill danced along my spine. I noticed Iz shake gently in reaction to the wind too. The boys seemed unbothered by the freezing air.

_Weird, _I thought. An image of a text book appeared in my head. The passage was vague but I remembered the context. _Werewolves are thought to have higher metabolisms and burned through protein quickly. This causes their body temperature to increase. _

I shook my head as the passage cleared from my mind. I had a lot of shape shifting lore stuck in my head. Werewolves had always interested me as a kid. Mainly because Dad swore they weren't real. I read everything I could on the subject in the hopes that one day I could prove the old man wrong.

I recognized Seth as the one walking right behind Iz. She seemed to forget he was even there. She smiled up at the boy walking beside her as he made her laugh again. Something inside me tightened at the sound of her mirth. I felt an instant anger at the exchange.

_That guy must be trouble, _I guessed. I had a way with reading people—their intentions. I had a feeling about this guy already.

I noticed that the other boys, four in total, walked behind Iz and the boy that she talked to. Almost like they followed his lead.

"Gang leader," I whispered, narrowing my eyes to get a better look at the guy.

The group stopped as if I had yelled at them. Instantly five pairs of eyes were staring me down.

"Shit."

Iz stopped a second after the gang. She looked to the leader, asking him something while shaking her head. He mumbled something to her and the boys took off up the road. Their eyes never left me as they headed toward the highway.

"Are you kidding me, Cullen?" she yelled from the front step. I didn't make a move to apologize to her, or to even acknowledge her presence. I shoved my hands in my pockets and went back to staring at the moon.

I heard the front door open and close.

I followed her inside once I was pretty sure she had stomped her way up to her bedroom.

The unmistakable wolf howl spread through the quiet winter night just before I shut the door behind me.

"Creepy," I whispered, making my way back to the couch.

"Not now," Iz spat from the stairs. I froze on the couch, positive that she was going to start yelling at me again.

"Mom, please, I'm begging you to just leave me alone. Just this once. I know what I'm doing. I get enough protectiveness from him…please…not tonight…"

I inched my way down the sofa as quietly as I could. I leaned around the entrance to the living room just as Iz stormed up the stairs.

She was alone.

"Holy shit."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

I didn't fall back asleep. I couldn't.

When I closed my eyes I saw Tanya. When I spent more than two minutes with my eyes open I remembered the sound of Isabella talking to her dead mother.

I was fighting an internal battle. Correction, I was losing that battle.

I kept thinking back to that night seven years ago. The reason Iz ran out of the house even though we were under strict orders.

She told us she could talk to Renee.

_She sounded like she was talking to her tonight. And if she can talk to her…_

I shook my head at the absurdity of that thought. What was I going to do? Proposition a girl who has hated my guts for the better part of a decade to help me talk to my dead girlfriend?

_Classy, Edward._

I sat there on that couch, watching the sun come up and trying to talk myself out of ever mentioning what I saw last night. I was so caught up in my internal debate that it wasn't until I heard footsteps in the kitchen that I realized someone else was awake.

"What?" Jazz asked looking up at me from his bowl of cereal. I shrugged, pulling out a chair and joining him. I attempted a subtle approach to broaching the subject of Iz's gift.

"You get the feeling there's way more going on here than either Charlie or Isabella are ever going to admit to us?"

_That's vague enough, right?_

Jazz shoved a spoonful of Cheerios in his mouth and shrugged as if that fact didn't mean much to him.

"Like what?" he mumbled through a full mouth.

"Like…maybe she really can talk to _her_…Renee, that is. Maybe Iz…has the gift."

_We need to work on easing into things. _

I looked down at my hands as I threw that idea out there. There were hundreds of implications to my suggestion. I knew my brother would jump to the exact reason why I would be happy to find out Iz could talk to the dead.

"Tanya is gone, Eddie. Leave her to rest."

I gritted my teeth as he said it, counting to ten before I continued. It was never going to be as easy for me to sew up my wounds it had always been for my brother.

"It's not that…well not just that," I countered. "I heard her…last night. She sounded like…like she did that night in the attic."

Jazz stopped chewing. He laid his spoon down and looked at me with guarded eyes.

"Edward…she was a kid who had just lost her mom. Hell, she was found with Renee lying dead in her arms. Iz was pretty messed up that night. Are you sure…"

"Yeah, she was talking to her mom like she was standing in the room next to her."

He settled back in his chair, mulling over my words.

"Okay. So…what?" he finally said.

"So what? Well…we should tell Charlie. See what he thinks. Maybe if Iz can talk to her…maybe she can find out what happened to her mom."

Jazz shook his head to squash that idea. "Nah. I mean…Iz has to come to that conclusion on her own. We can't force her to be some trans-dimensional telephone."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Jazz once followed a kindergartner around for a week because he believed the kid could draw the future. He forced notebooks and crayons in front of the kid on the playground to help us solve a case.

"What do you mean? We should, what, just drop this? What makes her different from any other psychic we would visit?" I defended.

"The difference is I don't want you jumping on this bandwagon so soon," he admitted unabashedly.

I laughed. "Oh, come on, Jazz…"

"No. Eddie, you have to let this go," he commanded. He sounded a whole hell of a lot like Dad in that moment.

I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up in defiance.

I narrowed my eyes. "Let it go?"

I knew that he meant it for more than just helping the Swans solve this case. He meant I had to let go of the idea of finding answers.

That was something I simply couldn't do.

"Tanya was killed by the same thing that killed Esme." I threw the charade of giving a damn about helping the Swans find answers in this case aside to cut to the real pathos that threatened my survival.

"You don't know that."

"We don't know that it's not. It was the same…maybe this thing has Dad. You consider that? Maybe if we just had one lead…one piece of evidence to help us…"

"No," he yelled, slamming his fist on the table. Jazz jumped to his feet, practically growling. "Maybe Charlie was right. We should leave town. We're no help to him here."

"I don't get you, man," I yelled back. "You show up in Chicago acting like me going back to hunting with you is the only life we can live. Now you want to throw me back out of the game?"

"I don't know what we're facing!" he barked. Jazz was shaking with barely contained rage. He looked ready to punch me in the face. "I don't know how to protect you from this thing. Hell, it's the only thing that ever made our father turn tail and run. We sure as shit don't need to go…poking it with a stick until we know more."

"Will you just shut up and listen to me!"

"I am listening to you!" I shouted.

"Dude…I didn't say that," Jazz responded with a glare.

"Then who…"

"I know…we both made a lot of promises…but I felt better knowing where they were… I know now that it was a mistake…"

I looked to Jazz and he shot his eyes out the window.

"It's Charlie," he said, pointing toward the side of the house. I followed him out the back door.

"You know damn well why I'm sending them home tonight!" Charlie yelled.

Jazz and I peeked out around the side of the house. As far as I could see there wasn't anyone standing out in the driveway next to him.

Just the Impala.

"Is Charlie talking to my car?" Jazz whispered in disbelief.

I nodded mutely.

"Don't you start! I told you seven years ago what to do with those boys. I see you didn't listen. Hell, I'm surprised you didn't get them killed."

We both stood there in shock watching as our father's oldest friend had a verbal spat with thin air.

"What's going on?" I whispered.

Jazz just shook his head.

"I'm not wasting my time trying to convince you of anything. Those boys are hitting the road tonight. Don't you dare be the same stubborn ass you've always been."

Charlie kicked the rear tire as he walked off toward the shed in the backyard.

"Jazz what the hell is going on around here?"

"Follow me," he whispered.

We snuck around the back side of the shed where we found a boarded up window.

"Jazz," I warned anxiously. I wanted to find out what was going on just as much as he did but I didn't want to invade Charlie's personal space.

Jazz peeked through the faded glass. "He's talking out loud again," he whispered.

"To Renee?" I mouthed.

He nodded, frowning as he looked back through the glass.

_Well there's an interesting development. It didn't sound like Renee that he was talking to outside, though. It sounded like he was talking to…Dad._

"Dad! I'm heading out!" Iz shouted from the back porch.

We both crouched down to hide from her view and to not be spotted by Charlie.

"Shit," Jazz cursed.

The shed door opened and closed quickly. "Okay Bells! Be sure to take your flask!" Charlie hollered back.

"I don't know where it is," she responded with a huff. "Is it absolutely necessary that I take that damn thing to the library with my friends?"

"Isabella we're not having this discussion again."

There were footsteps and the backdoor opened and closed. I peeked out from around the shed.

"Coast is clear," I announced.

"Keep an eye out," Jazz whispered.

"Dude…what are you going to do?" I asked, grabbing his elbow.

"I saw him shove something into a drawer. I'm just gonna…look around." He winked mischievously and took off before I could argue.

"Jazz," I hissed but turned to watch the door as he disappeared around the front of the shed.

A few minutes later Iz stormed out of the backdoor. She had a knapsack slung across her body and headphones plugged in her ears. She walked straight toward the shed and I froze in panic. I should have knocked on the window to warn Jazz. I should have ducked out behind the pile of used car parts that was collected next to the shed.

But all I could do was stare at her in terror.

"Bells! Take the truck. I haven't finished fixing your bike," Charlie shouted through the screen door.

Iz stopped five feet from me and turned on her heel to head back to the house. I flopped back against the side of the shed and exhaled.

I jumped when a hand slapped my shoulder.

"Some look-out you are," Jazz grumbled. "Come on, loverboy."

He dragged me towards the Impala, seemingly not too concerned that Charlie might see us walking away from the shed.

"Loverboy?" I echoed.

Jazz snorted. "You gonna tell me you were just staring at the girl of your dreams?" he teased.

"No, as a matter of fact I wasn't. The girl in my dreams is dead," I pointed out.

Jazz stopped laughing and opened the driver's side door.

"Where are we going?" I asked as I reached for my door.

"We need to take a breather…clear our heads." He climbed in and I followed.

Just as he slid the key into the ignition he sat back as if someone had punched him.

"What?"

"Let's walk instead," he suggested.

"The car isn't bugged or anything, you know," I assured him.

"Dude, I just saw a guy I really respect talking to this car. Now, I talk to this car…tell her I love her…maybe even occasionally kiss her dashboard," he explained. I rolled my eyes. "But I need to collect my thoughts about how I feel about what I've seen since the last time I've sat in this seat. You with me?"

I shrugged and got out of the car.

"You know it's a like a five mile walk to downtown from here, right?"

Jazz nodded and led the way up the driveway.

For the first mile we were stoically silent. I watched the desert terrain pass by with a clear head. I focused on putting one foot in front of the other and didn't think about the pills in my pocket or the overwhelming urge to buy a Ouija board.

Jazz was quiet with a clear face as well. We weren't fighting or taunting each other. We were just two dudes taking a walk.

Around the third mile, when we started seeing signs of a town and other civilization, the easy going acceptance was starting to wear off.

"We should have stayed in Chicago," Jazz mumbled.

I sighed. "There wasn't anything else we could do there. You told me that."

He nodded. "I know. And there wasn't. But fuck me if coming here wasn't going from bad to worse."

"She was actually talking to her mother?" he asked when we reached the first stop light at the edge of town.

"Yeah…well…she said 'mom'. I assume that means she at thought the person she was talking to was Renee."

"Do you think they're being haunted? Not by Renee but by some…I don't know…insane person who hears voices?" Jazz rambled. He was gesturing with his hands now, drawing lots of attention from passersby as he did.

"Where do the werewolves come into play?" I pointed out. "Charlie seemed genuinely set on that angle. And that kid…Seth…he was weird."

Jazz shook his head. "Dude…we've worked some crazy ass cases before. But this…What the hell!"

I nodded in total agreement. I led us to the public library. Something about being surrounded by books was comforting to me at that moment.

"Dude, what the hell?" Jazz mumbled again an hour later.

"I don't know," I responded, trying to read the morning paper.

"Seriously," he pressed with exasperation in his voice. "What the hell?"

I threw the paper down on to the desk in front of me. "Seriously I don't know. But I swear to God if you start talking to yourself, Jazz…" I shook my head.

He laughed one short quick burst of sound.

"So Charlie calls us up. He tells us this kid is a werewolf…that he thinks he has something to do with the death of Renee which happened seven years ago."

I nodded.

"You see that kid with a bunch of other kids looking like they don't understand weather-appropriate clothing alternatives but nothing else out of the ordinary."

"Well…they might have had super hearing," I offered offhandedly.

Jazz's eyes narrowed and I kept all further observations to myself until his rant ended.

"So hot boy with good ears traveled in a pack but other than that we don't see any reason to believe in Teen Wolf. Then you hear Isabella talking to her dead mother and we both see Charlie talking to our car."

He rubbed his forehead with his eyes closed.

"What the hell, Edward?"

I shook my head. I was at a loss.

"What was in the shed?"

"Nothing. I mean…in the drawer was just… a ring."

"A ring?"

Jazz looked me in the eye with shame in his. "Yeah…Renee's wedding ring," he explained. I nodded in understanding.

"Oh."

"I've gone through a hundred different sheds like that one in my life. I've dug through more personal items of countless strangers than I care to remember," he rambled. "But I've never felt like I violated someone like I did when I found that ring."

"She was special."

"Yeah," he agreed. "We need to figure this out, Eddie."

"Rule number five?" I suggested.

Jazz nodded. "It's about all we can do."

"Where do we start?"

"Renee. Charlie said this all had to do with what happened seven years ago. We have to find out what did happen back then. Piece it together. It was the last case he worked with Dad, why?"

I used the library computer to look up the headlines from New Year's Eve 2002.

"It had something to do with hunting. I know that. I remember Charlie telling me to call him if we ever needed a place to stay."

"Yeah…he told me the same thing. I know Dad was pretty torn up about the fight too. Charlie was like his last real friend."

"You know, I don't have any friends," I confessed as I scrolled through the articles.

"Edward, Dr. Phil is not in session at the moment. Please keep the head shrinking crap to yourself."

I glared over my shoulder at him. "It doesn't bother you that we don't have friends?"

"I have friends. I'm trying to help some of them right now," he pointed out.

I gave up on the argument. He did have a point. The Swans were about as close to friends as this lifestyle would allow.

"What are you looking for?" I asked when I realized he was scanning articles on a different computer.

"I'm looking for recent activity. You find anything about Renee?"

I scrolled through the reports again. "Just a blurb about a local woman found slain in her home the night before New Year's Eve. It doesn't list a name but it's her. They have a picture…"

Against every instinct in my body that said don't do it, I clicked on the thumbnail icon at the bottom of the article. A picture of a young girl with brown hair wearing faded blue jeans and a plain white t-shirt expanded on the screen. The girl had her head buried in her hands and blood stains running down her shirt. She might have changed a lot over the years, but I knew who I was looking at.

"Shit," Jazz whispered behind me. "I don't remember her looking like that. Dad brought her to the motel that night but she wasn't wearing that…"

I shook my head, frozen with shock at the sight. "How the hell did she survive that?" I whispered.

"Iz is a tough kid, Eddie."

Jazz went back to looking through headlines. I couldn't pull my eyes away from the barely contained agony in Iz's picture.

There was so much blood…

"Well, I don't know about wolves but there is one pattern I'm seeing pop up in the happenings of Phoenix today and yesterday," Jazz announced.

"What's that?"

"There was an influx of out of state college student recruitment. Apparently they offered incentives for kids from out of Arizona to come to school here seven years ago. Worked well until this past semester when they had to reboot the program again. So…yeah…I got nothing."

He sighed, flopping back in his seat.

"There aren't even any cases of basic violence popping up lately around here. What the hell is Charlie's deal? Maybe he's going crazy…" Jazz hypothesized.

I just kept staring at Iz.

"Dude…you're creeping me out with that."

"I just wish we could remember what happened back then. I can't remember any of it."

"Dad wasn't big on giving us the gory details back then. Well…he told us gory shit just not the particulars on hunts like that one."

"We were so mean to her." I felt my guts twist at the memory.

"Hey, we were kids too. And I mean…come on…she was always a weird kid," Jazz defended.

"And we weren't?" I asked, turning to him with raised brows.

He blew off the question. "How 'bout we go find something to eat?"

"Yeah…there's a diner across the street, I think."

I followed him toward the exit. My brain wouldn't stop trying to make connections to everything that we'd witnessed since hitting town.

"It just doesn't add up," I said.

"What?"

"Charlie said that he and Dad thought whatever killed Renee was a Wendigo and then they figured it was an animal."

"So?"

"So…Renee was killed at home. You know of any Wendigo that would come into a house and not drag the body back to their lair? It's kind of what they do, right? Store food for hibernation?"

Jazz stopped. "Yeah…even wolves wouldn't just randomly attack a house and leave Iz unharmed. There weren't any specifics about Renee's wounds on that article were there?"

I shook my head. "Nope. But the amount of blood on Iz's shirt…well…" I swallowed as I recalled an almost hauntingly similar image. "I've only seen one wound that leaves a stain like that."

"Tunnel-vision much?"

"You didn't see it…you don't know…" 

"Eddie, I've seen plenty of dead bodies and…"

A scream suddenly tore through the library like we were in some slasher movie.

"Now what?" Jazz complained.

"Oh my God! Somebody call 9-1-1!"

We shoved through a crowd of people that were collecting near the periodicals section of the library.

"What's going on?" I asked a woman standing near the back.

"This kid…he's having a seizure or something…he just dropped all of the sudden."

"Seth! Can you hear me! Seth!" A very familiar voice was shouting.

I looked to Jazz just as he looked up at me.

"Excuse us," we said, shoving our way to the front of the crowd.

Isabella was kneeling on the ground next to a convulsing Seth Clearwater.

"Dude, we should have stayed in Chicago."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**(December 31****st****, 2002)**

"_Edward," she whispered, shoving at my shoulder gently._

_I awoke with a start. Isabella's big brown eyes were inches from my face._

"_What the hell!" I yelled. "Iz? When did we get to Phoenix?"_

_I sat up, disoriented and looking around the motel room._

"_I'm sorry. I…I wanted to show you something," she whispered._

"_What time is it?"_

"_Early…like three or something."_

"_When did you get here? Where's Jazz?"_

"_He's sleeping on the couch," she said, pointing toward the snoring lump that was my older brother. He clutched his shotgun in his right hand as he slept._

"_He's on guard," I warned her. "We need to lay low."_

_She shook her head. "But she's outside," she argued._

"_Who's outside?"_

"_Come on…I'll show you…" She reached out and grabbed my hand, tugging me from the bed._

"_Iz…we can't…"_

"_Can't you hear her?" she asked, turning to me with wonder in her eyes. "It's a miracle."_

"_Who?" I pulled her to a stop before we could reach the door. She pouted as if I had slapped her._

"_My mom."_

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

We sat in the lobby waiting for Isabella to leave the emergency room. They wouldn't let her follow all the way into the operating room but she was allowed to sit in the family waiting room.

"I snagged this before the EMT showed up," Jazz whispered, handing me something.

I slipped it into my jacket pocket and felt the dimensions with my fingers.

"Is this a flask?" I asked.

He nodded. "The same one Charlie keeps bugging the shit out of her to carry I'm guessing."

"Where did you find it?"

My stomach was already sinking with a suspicion that I didn't want to follow.

"Clutched in the kid's hand."

"Charlie wouldn't…" I started to defend.

"People do crazy shit when they're haunted," Jazz offered.

"So, you're not dropping the whole haunted-by-the-ghost-of-former-dementia-patients angle then?"

"Nope."

"What do we tell Iz?"

"We're not entirely certain she's not also being haunted, right?" he pointed out.

"Shit…Jazz, this case is giving me a headache."

"We need to figure out what's in the bottle."

I pulled it from my pocket and twisted the lid open.

"It's empty," I said. I ran my finger along the rim, raising it to my nose and sniffing.

"Dude, how do you know it's not poisoned?" Jazz asked nervously.

I shrugged. "I figured since you had it in your pocket for twenty minutes and touched it with your bare hands and didn't have a reaction to it that it was probably safe," I reasoned.

"Bitch," he mumbled.

"Jerk," I mumbled back. "I don't smell any toxic traces on it. Just looks like water to me. Wait…" I pinched the sample between my finger and thumb. There were tiny flecks of silver in the liquid. "Silver," I whispered.

"Silver?" Jazz echoed.

"Yeah…or lead…it's shiny, though. Looks more like silver."

"The bottle is silver," he said, reaching for the flask.

"This isn't from the bottle. This is a powder that was dissolved into the water."

"And you can just see it with your naked eyes?"

I glared at him. "It's like finding fool's gold in a riverbed. It stands out."

"Is silver poisonous?"

I shook my head, pulling up everything I'd ever read about the medical uses of silver from my memory. "Not really. Anything ingested improperly can be deadly but silver is used as a preventative. It's deadly to viruses and is used in antibiotics," I explained.

"Dude," Jazz said.

"What?"

"You're an encyclopedia of weird," he teased.

"Whatever," I grumbled.

"So if it didn't hurt him…why?"

"Silver is said to be deadly to …ya know…" I inclined my head.

"What?" he asked densely.

"You know…" I repeated, nodding my head to the side as if the answer was standing in the waiting room.

"What?"

"Werewolves," Isabella answered suddenly.

We both jumped at the sound of her voice. I quickly slid the flask into my pocket and Jazz cleared his throat to try to cover up the awkwardness of the moment.

"How's Seth?" he asked. We both tried to totally ignore her spot on, non-sequitur reply.

"The doctor said he's stable. He had a sudden…breakdown of his nervous system or something. I don't really know."

She folded her arms across her chest and bit her bottom lip. For the first time since we arrived in Phoenix she reminded me of the girl I knew seven years ago. She looked innocent and broken.

Before I knew what I was doing I was standing and heading towards her—to hug her.

I stopped a few steps away when she suddenly glared at me with a look that promised she was carrying mace and would use it on me.

"Well…it's good to know he'll be okay," Jazz offered.

"No thanks to me," she admitted softly.

"It's not your fault," I tried to defend.

"No…it is. I let him drink from the flask."

Jazz elbowed me and I coughed.

"What was in the bottle?" Jazz questioned.

"I don't know," she replied. She looked between us with open, terrified eyes. "My dad handed it to me before I left the house. He must have slipped something into it."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

Charlie was standing by the backdoor when we got back to his house.

"Nuh-uh," Jazz said, shoving Charlie into a chair at the kitchen table.

"You're gonna start talking, Chuck. First off, what the hell did you do to that kid?"

Charlie's eyes were wide with terror at the question. "What kid? I've been here all day!"

"Yeah, talking to the car?" Jazz spat.

Charlie's face drained of all color. "What do you know about that?" he asked softly.

"One question at a time, Charlie." I brought us back on track. "What did you do to Seth?"

Charlie narrowed his eyes as he glanced at me. "Seth? I didn't…I talked to him but…what happened?"

"What did you do, Dad?" Iz asked with her fists balled. "Did you decide he was a demon and you had to smoke him?"

Charlie shook his head back and forth in disbelief. "What happened to Seth?" he yelled in genuine ignorance.

"Kid hit the floor in the library this morning. Foaming at the mouth after taking a drink from this." Jazz threw Iz's flask at her father.

Charlie lifted the bottle to his nose and sniffed. "I haven't touched this thing since I gave it to Bells three years ago. What was in it?" he asked turning to his daughter.

"You tell me," she told him. "You're the one who hid it last night after I got home. All I've ever put in it was holy water. That's what I thought was in it today. Apparently there was something else."

"There were traces of silver in it," I explained.

"The bottle is pure silver," Charlie pointed out. "You sure it ain't just from it?"

I shook my head. "No. I mean, yeah, it's not from the bottle. It was a powder that was dissolved into the liquid. There was trace amounts collected at the bottom of the bottle."

"You poison that kid, Charlie?" Jazz accused point blank.

"What the hell kind of harebrained question is that?"

"A legitimate one," Iz spat.

"Isabella Marie, you know better than to accuse me of such things. I would never harm an innocent kid," Charlie defended.

"And I'd appreciate it if you all would fill me in on what the hell is going on instead of pointing fingers."

"Seth was rushed to the emergency room an hour ago. Someone slipped him a silver lined shot and it attacked his nervous system instantly."

"Silver? So…the whole werewolf thing is on the level then?" Charlie asked.

"You know…" Jazz sighed. "I'm getting pretty damn sick with this whole moon child revival business. Start talking, Charlie. Why do you think Renee's death…and that creepy no shirt wearing kid has anything to do with werewolves?"

Charlie sighed, casting a wounded glance to his daughter.

"I guess it's about time you all hear this story."

We all sat down around the table.

"I guess… it goes back to Renee's childhood. She was…adopted," he explained.

"You never told me that," Iz said with wide eyes.

"Baby, there's a lot I've never told you. This isn't one of those things, though. Your mom never told me. I didn't know until a few weeks ago."

"What difference does it make who her parents were?" Jazz asked.

"Lots, but I couldn't find any record of her biological parents. The records were sealed. I mean…ironclad, buried under a mountain of mysteries sealed. But I did find out what orphanage she was adopted from."

I felt Jazz stiffen next to me as we both came to the same conclusion a minute before he confirmed it.

"It's a small place…more just a church than an actual orphanage. The Eternal Cross in…"

"Forks, Washington," Jazz and I finished in unison.

"What's so special about that place?" Iz queried, casting us all glances.

"It's uh…where Carlisle adopted both of us from," I filled her in.

"I don't recall any werewolves at the orphanage," Jazz offered sarcastically.

"Then you never wandered too far into the woods…or down to the reservation."

"The Quileutes?" I asked.

"It's the legend of their tribe. That their warriors turn into wolves to protect the tribe during times of great danger," Charlie explained.

"I never put two and two together until those boys came to town this fall. They're all from Washington. Transfer students. They were wearing the tattoo…the mark of the protectors. Renee had a pendant of the same mark that she used to wear all of the time. She never took the damn thing off."

"And you think the wolves killed her?" I probed.

He shook his head. "God…I wish Carlisle were here," he whispered.

Jazz and I sucked in quick breaths at that.

"Why?" Jazz asked with narrowed eyes.

Charlie sighed, resting his elbows on the table with shaking hands. "There's more to this than I know…there's more than I'm able to say. We had it all wrong back then…hell, I had it all wrong until this morning. That kid stopped by…said he was here to pick you up," he told Iz.

"You had already left and so…I just talked to him. Asked him stuff…stuff Carlisle was working on right before…" He dropped that thought as he shot nervous eyes in my direction.

"Anyway…he told me not to worry. They were here to protect you. He apologized for them not being fast enough to protect her…back then…"

"You mean he…" Jazz started.

"He was here seven years ago. His pack was tracking the thing that…she wasn't supposed to take the necklace off, you see. It shielded her….she never took that damn thing off…" 

"She did the night she died," Iz whispered.

"I figured as much," Charlie groaned, putting his face in his hands.

"He didn't have the tattoo," she continued. "He wasn't one of them. The man who came to the house that night…he was wearing a suit."

"Man?" I asked, turning to look at Iz. "I thought you didn't remember anything from that night?"

"You thought wrong," she said with venom dripping from her tongue. I met her eyes, terrified at what was staring back at me.

"Isabella?" Charlie whispered.

"Guess again," she answered. Her lips curled into a sinister smile.

"Honey, I'm home."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"Renee?" Charlie asked calmly.

Iz's head nodded up and down slowly, her eyes were fixed on her father unblinking.

"How?"

"She's possessing her," Jazz whispered.

"Gold star for you, Jazzy," she told him. The way she smiled at him, the twinkle in her eye. I wasn't looking at Isabella anymore. A chill ran down my spine as I realized Renee was actually sitting in the room with us.

"Aw, Edward," she said as if she could sense my fears. "Would you like a hug sweetie?" She opened her arms and stood to hug me.

I jumped out of my chair and backed away.

"Why are you doing this? What are you?"

"I'm protecting my daughter, silly boy." She smiled serenely up at me. "Well…that's not true. I'm carrying out the plan that was passed on to. Just like the one that was passed on to Elizabeth."

I gasped at the mention of my mother's name.

"What happened to you, honey?" Charlie asked with a hollow voice.

"Well, Charles, I died. I thought you, above all people, would have remembered that," she spat.

"How did you get in to this house?" Jazz asked, standing slowly beside me. "This place is Fort Knox for creepy things like you."

Renee laughed. "This is _my_ house. I never left it."

"What do you know about my mother?" I asked.

She raised her finger to her lips and shook her head. "It's not time for you to know yet."

"Are you a demon?" I challenged.

"Pissed off ghost," Jazz mumbled.

"Now boys, I don't appreciate you acting like I'm some kind of bad guy here. How bout I make us some chocolate chip cookies?"

"Is this bitch for real?" Jazz whispered.

"There's no need for that kind of language," Renee announced tersely. She pursed her lips and the walls started shaking.

"You know that moment in Ghostbusters when that hot chick from upstairs turns into a damn hell hound?" Jasper started rambling.

I nodded. "Uh-huh."

"I used to think it was kind of hot…" he explained.

I shot side eyes at him with a disgusted twist of my lips.

"Well…I don't now!" he yelled.

"Enough!" Renee shouted.

"Renee, honey, please…" Charlie tried to communicate with her. "Let me help you."

"You did very little for me in life, Charles. I don't need your help anymore." She flicked her wrist and Charlie went flying out of his chair. He slammed against the fridge with a loud thud.

"Holy shit," Jazz croaked.

"I'm tired of your foul mouth, young man," she said, turning angry eyes on my older brother.

"I apologize, ma'am?" he offered timidly.

His plea was just as useless as Charlie's had been. She tilted her head to the side and Jazz slid backwards towards to the far wall. He slammed against the wall and started to move up toward the ceiling.

"I can't move…Eddie! She's holding me down!" he shouted.

"Isabella…" I said softly. "You've got to wake up…You're stronger than her…"

Red bloodshot eyes were boring into me suddenly.

"Would you like to join the naughty boys?" she asked.

I braced myself for the blow, closing my eyes tightly as she raised her hand in my direction.

When nothing happened, I peeked one eye open.

Renee scrunched her forehead in frustration.

"What's wrong?" I asked, emboldened by the lack of flying through the air. "Run out of juice?" 

She glared at me with pure hatred in her eyes. "She won't let me hurt you," she hissed.

"Iz?" I whispered.

"No," she whispered back. Her lips raised in a twisted smile. "Come here," she said, waving her hand.

Against my will I flew across the distance between us.

"Isabella, you have to fight this," I pleaded.

"I think you need a time out upstairs, young man." She snapped her fingers and a chair slid out from under the table towards me. I was shoved into the chair and held down by an invisible force.

She marched from the room, the possessed chair with me tied to it following close behind her.

"Lady, you're like evil Mary Poppins," Jazz shouted after us.

She opened the door to the attic and I cringed remembering the last time I was up there. Iz had told us her mother was talking to her. We called her crazy.

_Don't be such a dumbass in your next life._

The chair came to a sudden stop just inside the attic room.

"I lived up here all these years, you know. Iz would visit me…less as she got older. I always blamed you for that, Edward," she explained.

"I'm not the bitch who stayed too late at the party," I argued.

She laughed. "True. But you are the one who made Iz feel bad about talking to me. Now that just wasn't nice."

"What the hell happened to you?" I asked sincerely disturbed by the twisted spirit of my former second mother.

"You'll see…one day…" she assured me cryptically. As if they were a beacon in an empty harbor, the pills in my pocket felt like they were on fire.

"What am I?" I whispered.

She shook her head subtly.

"Well, then what do you want with me?" I dared fate to finally give me some answers.

She walked slowly towards me.

"You know, she'd never admit this to you out loud but…Izzie has a thing for you," she whispered in my ear as she straddled my lap.

"Come on, Charlie!" I could hear Jazz yell, followed by a slap. The more she was focused on me the less her hold was on them.

_Keep her distracted, Edward._

"Um…Mrs. Swan?" I asked as my voice cracked. She licked the curve of my ear, drawing my lobe between her teeth and biting sharply.

"She might not let me hurt you…but she doesn't have a single damn reservation about me doing this."

I groaned as she ground her hips down against mine.

_This is so wrong…so very, very wrong…_

"Jazz!" I screamed.

"Keep her distracted!" Jazz yelled up the stairs.

_Not going to be a problem…_

"Iz…talk to me…come on…prove to me you earned your advanced placement courses. I think you cheated," I taunted.

Renee laughed. It was a twisted sound. Nothing like the girlie giggle that Iz had let slip last night while walking with her friends.

"Oh…I like it when you make her mad," she moaned. "It tingles all the way down."

I groaned as she pushed against me again, this time hard enough to send us falling to the floor. I grunted as she landed on top of me hard. I turned my head to the side, catching a glimpse of Charlie running past the stairs.

"Hang on, Eddie! We're looking!" Jazz hollered up the stairway.

I could hear his cowboys clunking throughout the downstairs rooms. Every now and then I could catch a glimpse of him running by.

"Think, Charlie!" he shouted.

I felt Renee's hands unbuttoning my shirt.

"You remember when I called you crazy?" I asked breathlessly.

She didn't answer. She just sucked on my neck. I closed my eyes and they rolled back into my head.

_Think about mud…think about zombies…think about…Jazz in a bikini…_

"I don't know…Try over there!" Charlie shouted and there was more rustling of feet.

"Wait!" Jazz yelled suddenly. "I got it!"

Renee started kissing her way up my neck.

"Come on…the last thing I ever wanted was to be Iz's first kiss," I teased.

She raised her head to look at me. I steeled my face, prepared to stare down the evil bitch.

I was caught off guard by the terrified eyes that met mine.

"Isabella…" I whispered.

It was her. She was fighting back, holding her mother in. She looked so scared.

_Help,_ she mouthed over and over again. She pleaded for me to help her. Her heart was racing in her chest. Her breaths were ragged with the energy it took to contain her mother's spirit.

I ran my hands up her arms, securing them around her shoulders.

I heard the backdoor slam and watched her lose the battle.

Renee took over and turned her attention to what was happening downstairs.

My brain was running a million miles a minute. I knew that Renee was a ghost. I also knew that Charlie had probably salted and burned her remains seven years ago. There had to be something that had belonged to her in life…something that was almost like a piece of her that was left behind that held her spirit to earth.

_Her wedding ring._

Jazz and Charlie were heading out to the shed to salt and burn her ring.

_Distraction…think__, Edward. Distraction._

My only hope was that Isabella would have no memory of tonight and that Jazz was too busy saving the world to ever catch a glimpse of what I was about to do. My hands gripped her arms tightly and pulled her down.

Her lips slammed against mine with the kind of force that they talk about in romance novels. Somehow chicks might find it sexy when they read about it in those books but for me it was just painful. I felt my bottom lip tear as our teeth clinked against each other and pinched the soft fleshed trapped between them.

It was rough and awkward and not at all romantic. She wasn't Isabella. I was in no mood to kiss any woman but my dead girlfriend.

We laid there with our lips pressed firmly against each other for what felt like an eternity.

All at once Isabella reared up, throwing her head back and screaming. She screamed as if she were dying…as if the gates of hell were opening up and sucking her in.

I wanted more than anything in my entire life to take away the pain that I could see bleeding from her face. The hell that had twisted Renee's spirit. The agony that her daughter had lived with every minute of every day for the past seven years.

If I could, I would have traded places with her.

A black liquid, ectoplasm, began to ooze from her eyes and ears. It dripped on to my shirt. It was the last of Renee's spirit leaving Iz's body.

As suddenly as the purge began it was over. Drained of her mother's ghost, Iz's body flopped forward, spent and empty. Her face landed in the crook of my neck. Her arms were draped on either side of my shoulders. Her legs were still wrapped tightly around my waist.

I laid there for a second. My heart pounding in my chest as if it was trying to break out. My lungs gasping for breath…my mind trying not to focus on the slight throbbing in my crotch.

I grunted with the release of the intensity of the moment.

I could hear Jazz running up the stairs. His breaths were pants of terror. That is until they were sighs of relief followed by bursts of laughter.

"Why, Eddie, you sly dog…"

I glared up him and his stupid male look of approval.

"Just help me up, you pervert," I whined.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**(January 1****st****, 2002)**

_I propped my hands up under my head and stared at the ceiling. _

_Dad was going to be gone for a few days. Something about a haunting at a local school. I didn't think about it much, really. _

_I could tell Jazz wasn't sleeping in the bed next to me any more than I was catching z's in my bed._

"_Jazz?" I asked the darkness._

"_Yeah?"_

"_You ever wonder what it would be like to talk to our moms?" _

_It was a dumb question. I knew the minute I asked it that he would tease me endlessly for it. But after seeing Iz last night…she looked so happy to think she could hear her mom again._

"_Why would I give a crap about talking to some chick that dumped me at an orphanage the day I was born?"_

_I frowned. "Don't you wanna know why she gave you up?"_

"_Hell no."_

_I thought about his reaction, his instant anger whenever I brought up our birth parents._

"_Why do you want to talk to your mom?" he asked after a while. _

_I closed my eyes, pulling up the image of what I thought my mom would look like. I never saw a picture of her. Dad wasn't big on talking about her much. But I had always had a vision of what I thought she looked like. _

"_I just…want to know if it was worth it," I confessed quietly._

"_If what was worth it, Eddie?" _

_I didn't respond. I watched the shadows play across the ceiling until I heard Jazz start to lightly snore from his side of the room._

_I closed my eyes again and drew up the vision of my mom. Her auburn hair fell gently around her heart shaped face. She had eyes that matched the green in my own and she reached her arms out to give me a hug._

_I rolled over and sighed, remembering the way Iz looked when Jazz told her once someone was dead they were gone. Even I told her to stop acting crazy when she said her mom was trying to talk to her. _

_I didn't think she was crazy though. I was just jealous._

_Why didn't my mom ever want to talk to me?_

"_Because I wasn't worth dying for," I whispered to myself as I fell asleep._

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

She was sitting out back behind the old shed when I found her. It was like walking back into a memory to see her there. It was day and not night. The sun was out and my clothes were dry. She was actually smiling and not sobbing. But I still felt like I was thirteen again.

"Hey." It wasn't my most eloquent greeting but it was the best I could do under the circumstances.

Her knees were pulled up in front of her chest, and her arms rested casually on them. Her eyes scanned the desert around us.

"Are we going to have that awkward conversation about how it was my mom, who was possessing me by the way, that was practically raping you and I was totally just a mortified bystander?"

I smiled. "Um…I'll pass," I offered with a shrug of nonchalance.

To my complete amazement she almost smiled.

"I'm sorry I never believed you," I apologized.

She shrugged. "I'm sorry I'm as stubborn as my dad."

I shoved my hands in my pockets, so many questions swirling around in my head.

"So…what do you remember? I mean…why…what did she want?" There wasn't an easy lead into _"Did your mother happen to know if I'm some kind of demon in waiting?"_

Iz focused her attention on her hands, knotting her fingers together nervously. "You know…she was in there…um, here," she said tapping the side of her forehead. "She set up shop pretty much as soon as she died. I felt it…that night…I didn't see the guy that did it but I found her before she was completely gone."

"Oh God…Iz…" I whispered.

For a fraction of a second I thought she might start to cry. Her eyes welled up but then she sighed and looked me straight in the eye.

"I don't know what she wanted or why she chose now to completely take over. I know that she hated the boys. She made me hurt Seth…shit, I hate that…" she confessed, rolling her eyes and looking back out over the desert. "I think she knew you two were a threat. She knew you'd figure it out and so she tried to fight back."

"Did she mention…think…anything about…"

"Elizabeth?" she finished my thought for me.

I nodded, anxious to find out anything about my past but desperate to know more.

She shook her head slowly, her eyes filling with that pity that I hated seeing Jazz's eyes lately.

"I'm sorry, Edward. I don't know what she meant by that, if she meant anything by that. She might have been trying to bait you. I wish I did know something…I know what it's like…ya know…"

I nodded. "Yeah…thanks."

"So…are we friends now?" I asked, kicking the dirt shyly.

Iz sighed, rolling her eyes dramatically.

"I promise to not throw holy water in your face the next time I see you…unless I have a very good reason to suspect you're possessed, that is."

I smiled, chuckling under my breath.

"Thanks."

I turned to head towards the Impala.

"Eddie?" she called quietly.

"Yeah?" I said, looking back over my shoulder.

"Be safe."

My heart squeezed and I nodded quickly before walking away.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"You sure about this?" Jazz asked as Charlie followed us to the car.

"Yeah, it's about time we moved on anyway. I have a house up in Washington, near Sequim. The pack is heading back to La Push…probably good to keep them in sight, just in case I need back up."

Jazz stiffened at the mention of using werewolves as backup. "You sure you can trust them?"

Charlie shrugged. "Hell, kid, I've about reached my limit of what I'm sure about anymore. All I know is that it will be good for us to put Phoenix in the rearview, if you get my drift."

We nodded in complete understanding.

"I just hope she's at rest now. I never wanted to believe it…that she was clinging on so tightly to Bells. But part of me was afraid to let her go too."

"That's not a bad thing, Charlie," I offered gently.

The gruff retired Sheriff just nodded but didn't bother meeting my eyes.

"You boys be careful out there," he warned us.

"Thanks," Jazz said, reaching out to shake his hand.

"Ah, shit," Charlie grumbled and pulled my brother into a hug.

"You too," he said, turning his emotional display on me next.

I couldn't help but smile as he wrapped his arms around me quickly.

"I owe you boys one."

"Don't worry about it, Charlie," I offered. "Families look out for each other."

He smiled at that, kicking the dirt. "You boys have a destination in mind?"

Jazz shrugged. "I was thinking of heading to St. Louis."

"You didn't happen to hear from Dad in the past six months?" I asked.

Charlie cautiously glanced at the Impala. "St. Louis is a bust if you're looking for your Dad. You're gonna want to head North. Alaska. Place called Trapper Creek just outside the Denali National Park. Ask for Eleazar. He can help you with that."

"You seem to know a lot about the subject," Jazz fished.

"Your Dad made some deals with some bad people, son. Eleazar was always his insurance. I've always been able to find Carlisle so long as I found that man first."

"Well…thanks again," I said.

Jazz nodded a final goodbye and climbed into the driver's seat. I walked around to the passenger side. I peeked in through the window to find the orange bottle lying on the seat, waiting for me.

I opened the door and grabbed it while Jazz adjusted his mirrors. I held the bottle in my hand, seeing the fear in Iz's eyes as I did.

I couldn't let my own fear rule me anymore.

I closed my eyes and chucked the bottle into the distance. I had no idea where it landed and I didn't care.

No more living in fear.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**A/N:**

**I'm interested to hear your theories on Edward's little green pills. **

**I am playing with the lore and legends in both Supernatural and Twilight. The wolves, vampires, and lots of other creatures that were encountered in both will be in many ways different and in some ways the same as they were before. **

**There're lots of fun facts about the differences of hoodoo and voodoo on Wikipedia. Check it out. **

**Agapanthus orientalis: Lily of the Nile****- not actually a lily and is native to South Africa. (Wikipedia) *I made up the part about them being poisonous…well I don't recommend eating them. **


	4. Chapter 3: January 10th, 2010

**A/N: Welcome back. Thanks for reading! I would apologize for taking too long to update but A) I write really long chapters so that takes time and B) I can only work with the little free time that I have and the cooperation of my brain. I do want to thank you all for your patience and for returning to read more! **

**Twilight and Supernatural belong to people other than me. **

**Thank you to everyone who takes the time to read and review. It means a lot to me. **

**To MissCarissa…I hope you enjoy being a baddie. :)**

**Thanks to my prereaders. You gals help motivate me. And you are both made of awesome. **

**And thanks to my good friend and beta TwilightMomofTwo for your hard work to make this readable. **

**I am interested to hear your theories on what is going on and what will happen next. Feel free to review or PM me with any questions you might have. **

**As always this fic is rated M because it deals with mature topics. Death. Blood. Drinking of blood. Ghosts. Naked guys…etc. You've been warned.**

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"I finally see the dawn arrivin'

I see beyond the road I'm drivin'

It's a bright horizon and I'm awaken

I see myself in a brand new way

The sun is shinin', the clouds are breakin'

Cause I can't lose now, there's no game to play."

(Don't look back, Boston)

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Then:**

**(May 15****th****, 1992)**

"_Carlisle, you're a damn fool if you keep that kid alive," Eleazar slurred, aiming the mouth of his beer bottle in the direction of the sleeping two year old on the couch._

"_I've warned you before to not talk like that around my son," I reminded him calmly. _

_I gave him the opportunity to correct his attitude due to his inebriation, but my patience was growing thin the longer we sat in this hotel room._

_He laughed, tossing the remainder of the liquid in the brown bottle down his throat._

"_Aren't you Suzy-fucking-homemaker all of the sudden?" _

_I kicked the chair out from under him, punching his laryngeal prominence__with enough force to shut him up but not kill him. The bottle hit the ground with a loud clunk. His arms flailed about and he gasped for breath as if he was being choked._

"_Listen to me, you worthless piece of shit. I don't give a damn what you think about the way I live my life, and I sure as fuck am not here to waste my time talking to you about family."_

_He made a gargling sound in his throat, his eyes growing wide with the anticipation of more pain._

"_I want the answers that I'm looking for and that's it. You don't owe me your allegiance but you do owe me your respect. If you so much as whisper a negative thought around that kid," I motioned toward Edward with my head without removing my eyes from his, "I will end our arrangement."_

_The threat hung in the air between us for a handful of seconds. He continued to pant as I stood slowly, my hand reaching automatically for the .45 tucked in my jacket pocket._

"_I'm sorry," he rasped, throwing his hands up in surrender._

_I nodded curtly. _

"_Now, about that friend you have in Italy…"_

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Now:**

**(January 10****th****, 2010)**

**Lesson three: **Sometimes lesson two is the more important one to remember.

**Edward PoV: (Lone Pine, California) **

I fed the quarters into the slot on the soda machine. Each slid down with a monotonous thud. The fourth quarter was rejected and spit out into the coin return. I picked it up and shoved it in to the slot a second time. Again the machine spit it out. I repeated the step five more times. I didn't think about it. I knew that eventually the machine would have to accept the quarter.

And it did.

_Squeaky wheels, _I thought dryly.

I pressed the button and the can thumped against the tray as it was dispensed.

I cracked the soda open, shivering in my thin jacket as I surveyed the parking lot. Who the hell ever heard of Lone Pine, California? There wasn't much to write home about around here. It was a typical little mountain, truck stop town. I couldn't see the mountains in the dark but I could feel the freezing winds, warning that there was snow a few miles out of town.

I walked to the edge of the parking lot and looked around. It was a clear night. Quiet. Every business in town closed up by nightfall so it was just me and the stars out at the moment.

I took a sip of the soda and sighed.

_Time for the nightly pity party._

I had plans once upon a time. It was the one constant that got me through the years of hunting with my family. That one day I could do something else…something different…something _more_ with my life.

And for a second I believed it was happening. I was going to be a doctor, just like Carlisle was.

_Once upon a time_.

I had so many plans for my life just a few short weeks ago. If someone had shown up in Chicago back then and told me that by January I'd be standing in a parking lot in California, watching the stars and worrying about the next hunt waiting for us, I would have shot them.

_It was bad luck to jinx happiness, after all_.

It wasn't exactly the most desirable life to return to, but it was the only life I'd ever known.

_That was his favorite come-back_, I remembered.

Whenever I was finally pissed off enough to confront him, back when I was a kid, Carlisle always reminded me that I didn't know how to be anything but a hunter.

I leaned against the mailbox at the curb and continued to sip my soda.

"So, this was your plan?" I asked the empty night. I pictured Carlisle standing out in the middle of the street grinning at me like a cat. He'd be nodding his head in satisfaction at how easily I jumped straight back into this world.

I couldn't deny it. Even before I found Tanya lying dead in our bed I felt the pull to come back out on the road with Jazz. Be it some misguided sense of duty or some thrill of control, it didn't matter.

_And now I'm trapped here just like him. _I pictured the scene of Tanya's death again, imagining how sharply the pain must have cut into Carlisle when he found Esme. I knew, without a doubt, that I would track whatever demon was responsible to the end of the world.

_Rule number seventeen: Vengeance can seal your fate_.

"You win," I muttered to the phantom in the street. "Asshole."

I froze as I raised the can to my lips for another drink.

I sensed movement behind me.

That lifetime of training kicked in on instinct. Every sound, sight and movement around me was narrowed down to the focus of the sensation of being followed.

Something was stalking up behind me without making a sound.

I stood my ground, not even bothering to turn around. Whatever was coming wasn't charging in for an attack. In the hope of having the element of surprise, my hand moved slowly down toward the pocket of my jeans where I kept my pocket knife.

I caught a scent on the wind and relaxed completely realizing that it was just my brother walking out to find me.

_Damn, he can creep up on the dead._

"You coming back inside?" Jazz's voice disturbed the peaceful quiet of the night.

I nodded reluctantly. I kept my eyes trained on the same spot in the middle of the street.

His retreat to the room was just as soundless as his approach had been.

Jasper was good at that. Sneaking in. He had a gift with subtlety that served him well. Not in action but in thought, reaction, even emotion. Jasper was skilled at altering your mood without you even realizing he was the one in control.

He was the one in charge in that moment. I just wanted to sit out here and feel the rage consume me. I wanted to chuck this can at the street and howl with anger at the man who turned me into…whatever the hell I am.

But Jazz needed me.

How did I know he needed me? Not because he came right out and told me that he did. But he was concerned. He worried over me. His first course of action after thinking Dad was in trouble was to find me.

I narrowed my eyes at the spot where Carlisle stood. For a second I would have sworn I felt something staring back.

I threw the can in the recycle bin next to the vending machine on my way back to the room-unable to shake the eerie vibe of being watched.

I missed a step at the door as I noticed the most threatening looking little orange bottle of pills waiting for me on the ground.

_Fucking Ju Ju pills,_ I mentally grumbled.

I stared down at the bottle like I could have a battle of wills with an inanimate object. There was no escaping the delivery system that brought the fresh set to my door.

A new bottle had found it's way into my life every single one of the last ten days. And in true voodoo like creepiness, it was like the bottle was becoming more daring with each new arrival. In the past I would find the refill tucked away in my medicine cabinet or in my duffle bag while on the road. The pills seemed to be raising the ante now.

I suspected finding them laying out here in the middle of nowhere was a challenge.

_Never challenge a Cullen._

In one fluid motion I leaned down, picked up the cursed pills and chucked the bottle toward the roof of the motel without a second thought.

I didn't regret one moment of being off the poisoned-pill regiment.

I hadn't noticed any change since leaving Phoenix. There weren't any fluctuations in my moods that were outside of the norm. Or as Jazz would have put it, "You've always been a moody bitch, Edward". No physical or outward signs that stopping the medication had caused me bodily harm. I was thinking clearly, no blackouts or sudden shifts in desire. All in all it was starting to look like the pills were some kind of elaborate placebo. Hell, I wouldn't have put that sort of trick past Carlisle. It could have been some fucked up exercise in "following Dad's orders without question". That would certainly have explained why Jazz never had to take the pills.

I had to keep reminding myself that it was still too early to determine what, if any, affect the medication did have on my body, though. I'd been taking the pills every day for nineteen years. It wasn't easy to determine when any such differences would appear.

I pulled the room key from my pocket and unlocked the door. I could hear the shower running and Jazz singing at the top of his lungs.

"_Risin' up to the challenge of our rival! And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night…and he's watchin' us all with the eye of the tiger!"_

I laughed. I could just see him in the shower, covered in soap suds doing his Ferris Bueller impersonation and fisting-pumping to the invisible drum beat. Despite the shitty circumstances that brought us together, it was nice to have my brother around.

_See, _I thought. _There he goes, shifting my mood again._

I shook my head, changing the channel on the TV to the local news. Well, I doubted the town was big enough for a news station, but it was a news station nearby.

"Get ready for continued snow on into the weekend," the weatherman reported.

I grimaced. I knew that technically I was from a cold, wet town but I had always hated snow.

"Did he just say snow?" Jazz called from the bathroom. He stood in the doorway drying off and the steam from his shower fogged over the TV screen.

"Yep," I confirmed with a frown.

"I hate snow," he grumbled.

"It is the asshole of weather conditions," I agreed.

Jazz strutted between me and the TV, wearing nothing but a smile.

"Dude!" I complained, shielding my eyes from a second glance at the part of his anatomy that he lovingly called "The Little General".

"Don't bitch cause you're jealous, Princess," he teased. He puckered his lips, blowing me a kiss.

"I don't see much to be jealous of. Let me get my microscope…"

A pair of his used underwear landed across my face.

"Ah! Dude! That's disgusting!" I jumped up, running to the bathroom.

Jazz laughed.

I dry-heaved over the sink for a second and then pulled my toothbrush out, slathering it with toothpaste.

"Uh!" I shouted as I scrubbed my tongue furiously. "My mouth was open!"

That only caused him to laugh harder.

"Why do you have to be such a gross ass pig?" I whined, stomping back to my bed. My tongue clucked against the roof of my mouth. His funk was all over my mouth.

"You know, I'd be offended by that. But I know what I did in those boxers." He winked at me and started laughing again.

I groaned. "What in the hell do women see in you?"

He shrugged, pulling on a fresh pair of boxers. "An easy lay."

I half laughed for a second before I realized he was serious.

"You don't actually believe that, do you? Jazz, you have lots to offer…"

"Jesus, Oprah. It was joke!" he huffed and turned around to finish dressing.

"Jerk," I muttered.

"Bitch," he added.

"Why do you always do that?" he asked, flopping on to his bed.

"Do what?" I prompted for further explanation. I wasn't aware that I was doing anything but watching the news.

"You're a bleeding heart, bro," he sighed.

I glared at the TV but didn't respond to his condescending remark.

If someone else were to call me compassionate I might be inclined to take it as a compliment. When a Cullen called someone compassionate it was a joke. Being kind to everyone without provocation meant you were a sucker. A mark.

And we were con artists.

Carlisle had been too trusting that night that changed all of our lives. If he had just gone home, not waited for Elizabeth to wake up…

"Is that why you were so quick to move in with that chick?"

"Tanya." I spoke through tight lips.

I glanced over at him.

He was sprawled out on his bed, wearing nothing but a pair of flannel pants. He had his right ankle crossed over his left and his arms tucked under his head. He looked like he didn't have a care in the world. He reminded me of his teenage self.

The guy who wasn't afraid of anything.

"Yeah…Tanya. Did you feel like you had to take care of her, too?"

I didn't like the direction of this conversation. I was still haunted by nightmares of Tanya's death every night. The last thing I wanted to do was psychoanalyze my relationship with her.

"How did you get those scars?" I threw out the idea, hoping it was his personal white elephant.

Also, I was curious about what had happened to him.

I could easily see twenty marks on his chest, and sides, even on his arms that he didn't have seven months ago. He also had a few new tattoos. I needed to know the how's and why's that came with those scars.

The tattoos, I understood. We had matching tattoos for protection. An anti-possession symbol was inked above our hearts on our chests and prevented demonic spirits from entering our bodies. A cross was etched on our right wrists, making our hands impossible for a demon to shake without feeling pain. The last tattoo was imprinted on our left ankles and was a mystery to all of us. It was a small intricately scrawled letter V with a coat of arms placed in the center. The symbols of a stag, a crown, a cup and a dagger were on the crest.

For as long as I could remember we had shared the same brands on our skin, but now he had two new ones. One I recognized as a devil's trap. It was on his collar bone just high enough to peek out every now and then from the top of his shirt collars. A pentagram encased in a circle, the devil's trap was commonly drawn on objects where you wanted to trap a demon. Floors, ceilings, boxes…I'd never seen one as a tattoo before, though. It meant that Jazz wanted to hold in whatever evil forces might possess him.

That scared the shit out of me.

Demons weren't the most common of supernatural creatures, but they were the most horrific to encounter. Demons were literally born of a life in Hell. They had to claw their way out of hell in order to roam the world of the living. They were truly the stuff of nightmares. The only real demonic possession that I had experienced was five years ago in Detroit. A sick, twisted hell-dweller found its way into Carlisle and started kidnapping little girls. Jazz drew a devil's trap on the ground, ensnaring the demon within the circle long enough for us to tie Carlisle to a chair and exorcise the damn thing. I saw how ferociously the devil inside my father fought to break free of that prison. I couldn't imagine feeling that locked away inside my own body.

His other new tattoo was of an apple. That one made me scratch my head. I couldn't come up with any mythological references to apples other than Genesis. Even if the symbol stood for original sin, the seven deadly sins or even just sin in general, I couldn't figure out what possible use an apple tattoo could be.

But even with that question in my mind, the tattoos I understood. The scars were what bothered me.

Jazz didn't seem bothered at all with my conversational one-eighty.

"Okay," he said, rising to my challenge. "If that's the way you wanna play it."

I rolled my eyes toward the ceiling. He _would_ be willing to share if it meant he could make me uncomfortable.

"Well, there's actually more than one story in that," he started to explain. "The ones on my arms are from a showdown with some ghouls in Mississippi. I went poking around the old safe house Dad has just outside of Baton Rouge. You remember that place?"

He shot me a questioning look just as I cast my eyes back in his direction. I nodded. The house looked abandoned but was stocked with all sorts of supernatural weapons. Dad had won in a game of poker from some of his old hunting buddies.

"Ghouls? Wow, we haven't found any of those since…"

"That week in Missouri, I know," he agreed, returning his eyes to the ceiling. "Anyway, I thought maybe Dad would be down there. The guy never was big on working out his feelings. You leaving probably did a real number on his pride."

"_Us_ leaving," I corrected.

"So, there were ghouls squatting in the house," he pressed on without acknowledging my remark. "And they got the drop on me."

My eyebrows rose in disbelief. "No shit?"

He smirked. "Yeah well, in my defense they were posing as you and Dad. I guess there was a picture of us in one of the old boxes of junk there."

"I thought ghouls only take on the shape of the last person they killed?"

"Yeah. I guess these guys didn't need to bother with that. They were pretty starved. Probably saw me coming and figured it would be a good way to pull me in. Worked too. The one that looked like you had me convinced that they killed you and Dad."

"But you knew I was safe in Chicago." 

"Did I?" he asked, looking over at me. His eyes were filled with honest hurt. I felt a sharp pain in my stomach as I met his eyes. No, he probably didn't know. I hadn't bothered checking in with either him or Dad to tell them that I was doing okay in Chicago.

"Anyway, the one that looked like Dad slashed the shit out of my forearms. The one that looked like you kept digging his fingers into the wounds and licking my blood from his hands."

My stomach twisted at the thought. "Ghouls are such parasites."

He nodded in agreement.

"How'd you get out of that one?"

He was quiet for a minute. He just stared straight up and blocked everything else out. Then all at once he blinked and went on with the story.

"So, the scars on my abdomen are a whole other story." 

I hung my head as he went into another tale of risking his life on his own. There was an entirely different emotion bubbling up inside of me as he recounted how he gained his physical scars. One that I wasn't particularly interested in dealing with right now. Or ever in all honesty.

I recognized it as guilt…and maybe something more. Something I didn't have a name for yet.

"And there I was, backed up against a stone wall with this deranged zombie chick charging at me with a rusty pair of hedge clippers, and let me tell you zombie bitches are strong."

I smiled at the way he described such terrifying events. Jazz could pour levity into any moment. I envied him that.

"She got in a few good hits, as you can see from the defacement of my awesome six-pack," he grinned over at me.

I laughed.

"What about the one on your cheek?" I asked, nodding my head toward the mark that was two shades lighter than the rest of the skin on his face.

His grin fell. His eyes went cold.

"It's your turn," he said with a detached voice. "I've shared two of my secrets. Now you tell me. Why did you move in with that girl?"

I didn't want to talk about it. But looking into his eyes made that new emotion twist my insides into submission.

"Isn't that what people do when they fall in love?" I asked stupidly.

Jazz shrugged. "I guess. But…how long did you know her before you moved in together?"

I frowned. "Three months."

"Three months? You decided to live with that girl after only knowing her for three months? It takes you longer to order a salad."

I sighed. "I'm…particular," I said in response to his teasing me about my ordering habits.

"Exactly," he replied with a shift of his shoulders. "So you knew you wanted to spend every single minute with her. You wanted to see her the second you woke up? Have her drink out of the milk carton and all that shit?"

I realized that Jazz was just as clueless as I was with what living with other people entailed.

I nodded just the same.

"Wow," he whispered in obvious astonishment.

"It just…sort of happened. She asked me to go to an apartment showing with her and…I don't know…we were signing a lease before I knew it."

I could see that day so clearly in my head. Tanya was giddy with excitement when I agreed on the apartment.

"I was so…happy," I admitted softly.

"Bedtime," Jazz announced suddenly.

He flicked off the lamp on the nightstand between our beds and the room was dark except for the TV. I leaned over and turned off the device. There was a sour taste in my mouth as I heard him shift around and pat his pillow into submission. I didn't move from where I sat. I just stared into the dark until my eyes adjusted and I could make out the outline of his sleeping form in his bed.

A part of me wanted to turn every light on and challenge him. To just beg him to put up his fists and fight me. I couldn't say what I wanted to fight for, or whether I wanted to win.

My guts twisted again and the guilt burned hotter with that new emotion swirling around me.

While we were separated Jazz risked his life time and time again to find his family. He was slashed half to death, all alone…and me?

I was happy.

There wasn't a hole deep enough for me to jump into now. I couldn't outrun the truth that I was the cause of Tanya's death. And this awkward sensation growing inside of me the longer I was back on the road with Jazz needed to be addressed.

When I finally did crawl up the bed and laid my head down I could feel my remorse wrap around me like a blanket—choking the hope of ever being happy again from my body completely.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"_Come on. It'll be fun," she promised and grabbed my hand. She pulled me toward the obnoxious r__ed poster that read "Open House", and I cringed. _

_This was a huge step. Getting to know Tanya. Sleeping over at her apartment every now and then. I was already breaking most of the rules. _

_Living with her?_

_I gulped as we crossed the threshold of the show apartment. There were lots of other couples mingling around the room in front of us. Representatives from the building were walking around with information packets. _

_I was covered in sweat as I looked around. _

_How did people do this? How could you choose a place to live so easily? I hadn't had time to research all paranormal activity in the neighborhood. I didn't know if there were any signs of hauntings in the building. While Tanya asked the realtor about the downstairs gym, I wanted to ask her if there were any false walls that I could hide an arsenal behind. _

_I was out of my element. _

"_Well?" Tanya asked after an hour of wandering around the two-bedroom apartment. _

_I just smiled. What was I supposed to say? If I said I hated it, would she think I didn't want her? Did I want to live with her just to keep her?_

"_Edward?" she asked with a concerned pout on her face. _

_I didn't like to see her upset. I'd do anything to keep her from ever feeling sad again._

"_Where do we sign?"_

_She jumped up and down, clapping and giggling. I couldn't help but laugh in a shared excitement with her. It obviously made her happy to know we'd be living together. So that made me happy._

_A contract was shoved in front of me. I didn't even bother reading it. I just grabbed the pen and started to sign my name on the dotted line. _

_Just as the final curl of the 'n' in Cullen was complete I felt something wet hit my hand. _

_I figured Tanya was crying. This was a huge step. We were joining our lives together. From this moment on, our fates were intertwined. _

_I felt a second drop on the back of my hand before I realized what it was. _

_Blood._

_I froze._

"_No!" I shouted. _

_I looked up. Tanya's eyes were cold and glowing red. "Your soul is mine," she hissed in a demonic voice. _

_I shouted, shoving the possessed creature away from me. I wished like hell that Dad and Jazz were here for back up._

"_They're dead, Edward," Demonic Tanya told me. "We're all dead. Thanks to you!" _

_She opened her mouth and the most horrific shriek was released. _

_We once faced a nest of banshees when I was a kid. I remembered the exact pitch of their wails. Cries that tormented a soul from the second the sound hit your ears. _

_This shriek was worse. It was like feeling the gates of Hell open within my chest. _

_There was a pounding. _

_Was it my heart?_

_I felt myself falling._

_Was this it? Was I finally being dragged to Hell?_

_Falling…_

_Pounding…_

_Shrieking…_

_Everything went black._

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

My eyes snapped open.

The room was totally dark. I was covered in sweat and my heart was still racing from the nightmare.

"Shit," Jazz cursed. I could hear him scrambling out of bed.

I leaned over and turned on the bedside lamp.

"What's up?" I asked. The fog of sleep disoriented me.

Then I heard it—the loud pounding on the door. I shook my head to clear the remainder of sleep from my brain. I jumped out of bed to follow Jazz to the door.

"What's wrong?" Jazz shouted. I could see he had his shotgun in his hand.

"Help me!" a voice screamed outside. "Sanctuary!"

"Sanctuary?" I whispered.

"This ain't the church, pal," Jazz yelled.

The pounding increased.

"Who are you?" I yelled.

"Sanctuary!" the man screamed again.

"What the hell?" Jazz mumbled. He took a step closer to the door, his hand raised to grab the doorknob.

The pounding stopped.

Jazz dropped his hand.

"Should we…" I asked.

He looked back at me with confusion twisting his features. He inched closer to the door, peeking through the peephole.

"I don't see anything," he told me. "Grab the salt, will ya?"

I did as he asked, lining both the window and the doorway. Jazz nodded to me and clutched the shotgun to his chest.

He opened the door.

I dropped to my knees.

That shrieking…

The same as that in my dreams.

It felt like my ears were bleeding.

I screamed, covering my ears.

I could barely make out the sound of Jazz yelling my name in the distance.

Everything was turning grey. My eyes rolled back and I was lost to the pain.

"_Where are we going, Edward?" _

_I opened my eyes to find myself sitting behind the wheel of my Volvo._

_I blinked as I tried to make sense of how I got here._

"_Edward?" a voice asked beside me._

_I turned slowly, my heart in my throat._

"_Tanya," I whispered._

_I met her hopeful, vibrant eyes. _

"_How?"_

"_Where are we going?" she asked again. _

_I looked around. We were parked in our stall back in Chicago. _

"_How…"_

"_Edward…"_

_I looked back over at Tanya._

"_Eddie?" _

_I furrowed my brow at her use of my brother's nickname for me. I couldn't remember Tanya ever calling me Eddie._

_In fact, no one _but_ Jazz had ever called me Eddie._

"_Where are we going, Eddie?"_

"_Eddie…"_

"Eddie!"

I came to with a sharp pain in my cheek.

"Tanya?" I croaked.

"No, it's Jazz. You back with me?" he asked.

I blinked. The darkness of the hotel room invaded my vision, followed by Jazz's worried face.

"What happened?" I asked.

My head felt like a bomb had gone off in my skull.

"Don't know. You just hit the ground and started screaming. Then you passed out. I was worried you were having a seizure."

He helped me sit up. My head felt swollen.

The door was still open. It looked like the sun was rising.

"What was that shrieking noise?" I asked, rubbing my temples.

"What shrieking? The only noise I heard was you screaming."

I looked up at him. "You didn't hear it? It was…high-pitched wailing…" Just the memory of the sound made my entire head throb.

Jazz hurried past me to close the door. His face was twisted with confusion as he leaned down to help me stand.

"I didn't hear anything, Eddie," he said, watching me curiously.

"What the hell was it?" I mumbled.

"Don't worry about it right now. Get some sleep. We'll be out of here in a few hours."

I took his advice. My head was pounding so hard it was impossible to think anyway. I leaned heavily on him for support as he steered me toward the bed.

I groaned as I hit the mattress none too softly. I closed my eyes and welcomed the promise of oblivion.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

I stepped out of the shower and dried off. Chancing a glance in the mirror I noticed that I looked tired. Not sleepy tired but bone-dead, exhausted kind of tired.

I used my electric razor to shave off the two days' worth of stubble covering my chin and jaw. Jazz liked a little scruff on his face whereas I preferred a smooth shave. I didn't know why it mattered to me to think of that detail about us, but my mind refused to ever just be still and silent.

I was always thinking about something. Or trying to riddle out what everyone else was thinking about.

It wasn't hard to read my brother's thoughts as I exited the bathroom.

He was rearranging clothes in his suitcase with the stoic set of his features that warned he would just love for someone to pick a fight with him.

That was the first lesson that I learned about Jazz—he doesn't need much provocation for a fight. When Carlisle first adopted Jazz I was hopeful for a friend. I made the mistake of trying to talk to him when he looked like he did now, earning my first set of stitches for that.

And Jazz learned his first lesson about Carlisle—you don't hurt his kids.

I got dressed, trying to not think about the conversation last night.

"We should probably eat before we leave town," he told me. "I want to hit Goose Lake by nightfall."

I nodded.

He retrieved his shotgun from the nightstand, reminding me of strange wake-up call.

"What do you think that was last night?" I asked, pointing towards the door.

He shrugged. "Not our problem. We're headed to Alaska. And that's all there is to it."

This was another one of those times that I wasn't sure if I was talking to my brother or our father. Jazz finished packing with a near psychotic focus.

"What if something's up with this town?" I prodded. I couldn't believe that he would be willing to just walk away from a case. "That shrieking…"

"I didn't hear it," he snapped. He bent down to slide his boots on.

"Well what about the disappearing guy at the door?" I argued.

He heaved a sigh. "Eddie, there's bad shit that goes on everywhere. We can't take care of everybody's problems. We _have_ a job. It's in Alaska. So get packed."

He tossed my jacket at me. "Let's go," he barked.

I frowned. "Would you give a shit about Alaska if we knew where Dad was?"

"Are you fucking shitting me right now?" he yelled. I could tell by the pulse of the vein in his forehead that he was this close to finally losing it.

"Jazz, come on…we don't even know who or what Eleazar is," I defended. "We're flying blind."

"No, we've already _been_ flying blind. This is the first real lead I've gotten in seven months. I've been cut up, bled out, cursed, bruised and damn near eaten alive all for the sake of finding this one goddamn lead. And we're not stopping to deal with some phantom hotel ding-dong-ditcher just to satisfy your need to help everyone on planet Earth."

He stormed out of the room with his suitcase in hand. The door shook after he slammed it. I silently counted to ten and sighed.

I wondered what it was like to be able to just express emotions the way Jazz did. Already I was reasoning away my anger at his agitated mood. I knew what he meant. He thought I was being chicken shit and hiding behind this case to not face what was ahead of us.

I didn't want to admit it but he might be right. I was genuinely curious of what was going on in this town.

And on the other hand, he did have a point.

_Do I want to stay only because there's some twisted sense of security in trying to solve this case? _I asked myself as I laced up my boots.

"Yes," I admitted. I was terrified of what we would find in Alaska. A freshly filled orange bottle had been waiting for me in the bathroom this morning. What if Eleazar had something to do with those pills?

What would Carlisle do when he found out I stopped taking them?

I sat down on the bed, rubbing my hands over my face to scrub away the doubts. Jazz was right. We had to move on.

I heard the door open and close. Jazz walked to his bed and sat down across from me. I looked at him and we mutely nodded to each other.

It wasn't an "I'm sorry" but it was close as either of us would offer.

"Which route are we taking up through the state?" I wasn't overly familiar with the West coast. Dad never liked coming out to California on hunting trips. Jazz used to joke that the Cullens must be vampires because Carlisle obviously hated the sun.

"Well, we can take the 395 all the way up to the Oregon border. Why?"

"The 395 winds through the Sierra Nevadas," I pointed out, pulling up the interstate map in my mind. "You know what that means."

He sighed. "Yeah, snow."

"Snow."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"What can I get you boys?" the waitress asked as we slid into the booth.

"Just some coffee. Thanks," I said, offering her a polite smile.

Jazz stared up at her for a second longer than was polite. I kicked him under the table and he yelped.

"Sorry," he apologized to her. "I didn't mean to stare…it's just…did that hurt?" he asked, pointing to her upper lip.

It wasn't until that moment that I realized she had a tattoo across her lip.

I could feel my upper lip curl involuntarily as I tried to imagine that kind of pain.

The girl wasn't thrown off by Jazz's rude question. She offered him a smirk and slid up the sleeves of her uniform. "Not as much as these did," she offered.

I knew it was very ungentlemanly of me but I felt my jaw drop as I looked at the sleeves of tats running up both of her arms.

"Is that a winged devil?" I asked, pointing at the biggest image on her left forearm.

She nodded, looking impressed. "I'm into…mythology," she said.

She flashed a full smile and I could read her lip tat.

"Death is welcomed?" I asked.

She nodded. "Very good. Not too many people can read Latin."

_Not all of your customers have had to memorize exorcism rituals, _I thought dryly.

I smirked and we both turned back to Jazz. He had a fake smile plastered across his face.

"What was it you wanted to order, sweetie?" she asked him.

"The short stack, bacon and a chocolate milkshake. Please," he replied.

She smiled at us and headed off to the kitchen to place our order.

"What the hell was that?" he complained.

I shrugged. "Are you suddenly threatened by my ability to flirt with the waitress?"

He flashed me his signature "oh please" look and pointed toward the kitchen.

"Did you get a look at those tattoos?" he whispered, looking slightly on edge.

"Don't tell me you're suddenly afraid of girls with ink. Didn't you spend an entire weekend with that tattoo artist in Denver?"

That smug male smirk of his peeked out. "Oh yeah…she was fun." His eyes were glassy as he wandered back through his memories.

Then all at once he shook his head. "Stop distracting me," he hissed.

I threw my hands up in surrender and his next question was stalled on his lips as the waitress returned with my coffee.

"So…have you lived in Lone Pine long?" Jazz asked her awkwardly.

"Mhmm…most of my life, I guess you could say. It's where I call home, if that's what you're implying."

It wasn't what he was fishing for, and something about the way she squared her shoulders as she waited for his next question clued me into the fact that she knew that's not what he had meant.

"Travel around a lot?" I added accomplishing a more casual nature than my brother had.

She shrugged coyly at me. "Some call it nomadic, I call it freedom."

A bell dinged at the back counter and she rushed off to pick up the order.

"What the hell does her moving around have to do with the ink?" I asked in a hushed voice.

"She has some hardcore hoodoo shit on her arms, Eddie. You don't just find those images in an average tat shop."

"So…you wanna stick around and find out more about this town?" I perked up at the possibility.

Jazz frowned and my shin was instantly seized in pain as the tip of his cowboy boot smacked against it.

"Oh, and before I forget." He kicked me a second time.

"Ow," I grunted.

The waitress returned with his food before I could retaliate.

"Okay, short-stack and milkshake," she mumbled as she placed the food in front of Jazz.

I watched his eyes narrow in on her chest as she leaned over. "Cris," he read from her nametag.

"That's what my mom called me," she replied without missing a beat.

"Does she live in town, your mother, that is?" he probed.

I kicked him in the hopes that the stupid questions would stop.

He jumped slightly but continued to talk to her.

"Nah, my mom passed away a long time ago. It's just me," she told us.

I figured as long as he was going to force the poor girl to answer questions, I might as well try to get the ones I was looking for.

"You've lived here awhile, you said?" I asked and she nodded. "So…are there any local legends or anything? Anything strange happen here at night…"

I grunted as I felt the heel of my brother's boot stab my foot under the table.

"Oh… were you guys staying at the motel last night?" Her eyes were wide as she looked between us.

I cringed from the pain in my foot. We both nodded, though Jazz's nod was disgruntled.

"So you heard poor old Mr. McGuinness then?"

Jazz and I shot each other confused, restrained looks.

"I guess so…" I offered.

"The banging? The screaming? The call for sanctuary and all that?" She waved her arms in the air as she spoke.

We nodded a second time.

"Awesome," she whispered with excitement glowing in her eyes. "We haven't heard him in years. Did you hear the creature, too?" she asked anxiously.

Jazz glared. "No."

My turn to kick him again.

He was ready for my attack and swung his leg at the same time. We both yelped as our legs bounced off each other and the entire table shook, rattling our spoons and water glasses.

"Order up!" the cook shouted from the back.

"Oh," Cris said and dashed off to take care of more orders.

"No," Jazz repeated once we were alone.

I watched him for a second and then nodded silently.

"I mean it, Eddie. No." He stood and headed to the bathroom.

I stared out the window at nothing in his absence.

"Did you hear it?" a voice whispered.

I looked over to find Cris sliding into Jazz's seat. She looked around nervously like she was worried we would be interrupted by the FBI or something.

"Um…the shrieking?" I asked.

She nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. It's not common for people to hear it…the legend is that…well, that you have to be one of the creature's prey to hear it."

Why didn't it surprise me that some mountain creature wanted to stalk me?

"What's the legend?"

"It's a…"

"Local problem," Jazz suddenly stated matter-of-fact.

Cris snapped her mouth shut and jumped out of the booth.

"Darlin', how bout a to-go box and our check, please and thanks," he ordered with a harsh edge to his voice.

"Oh…sure…I'll get your check," she mumbled.

"Thanks," Jazz barked.

"Dude, you're such a jerk," I grumbled. I followed Cris to the counter and took care of our bill.

"I'm sorry about that," I apologized to her. "We're just in a hurry to get to our destination."

"No worries. Lone Pine is a rest stop kinda town," she replied with a friendly smile.

She watched me with trepidation deep in her eyes that caught me off guard.

"Have you…ever heard the creature?" I asked.

She nodded slowly, fear filling her whole face. "Last night," she whispered. She bit her lip, looking around the diner before staring me in the eyes.

"I've heard stories. People who've heard that thing and then…poof…gone like Mr. McGuinness."

I was torn straight down the middle as I looked into her terrified eyes. My brother was waiting out in the car with absolutely no interest in helping anyone in this town. But this girl could use our help.

"Here," I told her, scribbling down my cell number on the back of our receipt. "You call this if you need anything. We're…experienced in the… _unexplained_. Call me if you hear that thing again."

I started to leave but she caught my hand. For a second I felt like I was looking back into Tanya's hazel eyes when I looked at her.

"I don't even know your name."

I smiled. "I'm Edward." I shook her hand and then left the diner.

That sensation of being watched that had haunted me in the parking lot last night crept back into my mind as I got into the Impala.

Jazz tore out of town like the place was on fire.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"_Edward," Tanya whispered._

_I felt her fingers brush against my cheek._

_I moaned lightly. I was so tired. Couldn't I get just a few more minutes of sleep?_

"_Edward, where are we going?"_

_I blinked my eyes open. I was back in the Volvo with Tanya sitting next to me._

_I knew it was a dream…it had to be a dream._

_The last thing I remembered was stopping for gas in Independence._

"_Wake up…wake up…wake up…" I chanted uselessly. I cinched my eyes shut. _

_It all felt so real. I could smell Tanya's perfume, hear the breath leaving her lips. She was really here next to me. _

_And yet…I know she died._

_Didn't she?_

"_Wake up, Edward," she whispered. "Wake up…"_

"Eddie," Jazz yelled. I felt the slap across my chest just as I was pulled from the dream world once more.

We were in the Impala, flying down the highway.

"Whoa," I mumbled. I couldn't put my finger on what was happening to me. I was used to vivid dreams—especially ones involving Tanya lately.

But these…

"Are you experimenting with some serious drugs that I should know about, little brother?" Jazz half teased. He cast a speculative eye in my direction and for a moment I wasn't sure what to say.

I _did _feel like I was under the influence of something out of my control.

I shook my head clumsily. "I don't know," I admitted. "I've been having…strange dreams."

"Dreams?" he echoed.

I nodded, rubbing my hands down my face to clear my head.

"Yeah… they feel almost like memories…or… I don't know…visions or something."

"Okay," he responded skeptically. He watched the road in front of us with that same intensity that he always had behind the wheel of this car.

My pocket vibrated and pulled my phone out to answer it.

I didn't recognize the number.

"You know anybody at number 7-6-0-5-5-5-3-8-2-1?" I read the numbers and yawned.

He shook his head. "Nope. But 7-6-0 is a local area code…Lone Pine area, actually. Maybe you're just picking up a stray signal."

I stared at the number again. Whoever it was left a message. I dialed my voicemail and slapped my forehead the second I heard her voice.

"It's the waitress…Cris," I said.

He shot me side eyes filled with mirth.

"I wasn't in the bathroom _that _long, Eddie," he teased.

I ignored his immature allusion. "I gave her my number…in case…"

My voice trailed off as I realized he would be pissed to find out why.

"We've just about past the point of 'a little too far out of the way for a booty call', dude," he pointed out.

"She said she heard that shrieking last night, too," I mumbled as quietly as I could.

Without warning he slammed on the brakes.

As usual the Impala was in harmony with Jazz's mood. It seemed to rumble with a disapproval that even reminded me of Carlisle.

Traffic was still moving along the highway. Semis and campers were laying on their horns as they adjusted their paths to avoid hitting us.

Jazz was unaffected by all of that, though. He casually leaned to the side so he was fully facing me. He slowly crossed his arms over his chest, watching me through his sunglasses.

"Come again?" he asked calmly.

"It's a local legend…not sure exactly what the legend is but she said that only…the creature's prey can hear it…" The more I rambled around my explanation the darker his mood grew.

"You know what you're gonna find back there, Eddie?" he asked with an emotionless voice.

I didn't respond. I just stared back at him.

"The same shit you'll find two towns over and in Colorado…in Toronto and even in New York…because bad shit…"

"Exists all over, I know," I interjected.

"Do you?" he challenged.

"Yes," I defended in offense. "I've grown up around all the same shit you did."

"No, you didn't," he informed me. I was caught off guard by the way he looked when he said it. He was the typical full of piss and vinegar Jasper. He looked…tired. Like it was taking all he had to keep his soul inside his body.

"You grew up around two people who shielded you from ever really experiencing this shit. And a guy who kept us moving long enough to outrun the shit that's even worse."

I clenched my jaw and glared out the window.

"I can help her," I whispered.

"You wanna know how I got this scar?" He pointed at his face.

I nodded, intrigued enough to forget about the case for a second.

"I tried to help someone," he explained quietly. His eyes grew glassy with the emotional release that he denied himself. "And it didn't work out so well for her. I thought I had it all together. I knew what we were facing…knew everything I needed to do to stop it. Then the damn thing changed its M.O… and things went south. Fast."

"What was it?"

Everything outside of the car disappeared as I listened to his story. My entire focus narrowed to the look of desolation on his face.

"It was a…I don't know…some sort of demon. Called himself Erebos."

"That's the Greek God of darkness," I recited from a textbook article suddenly in my mind.

He sighed. "Yeah, she was a college student, really into the whole mythology thing. She accidentally invoked him, or something, and then I tried to expel him. All I got for the trouble was this scar on my cheek and a warning that I should know when to walk away."

"What happened to the girl?"

"He killed her. Took a knife and ran it through her stomach then ditched the flesh suit."

He rubbed his nose, a few tears finally escaping his eyes as he looked over his shoulder down the highway.

"Why didn't he kill you?"

Jazz was deathly still for a minute. I fully expected sharing hour to end right then and there.

"He told me it was because he needed me…to lead him… to _you_." His voice cracked heavy with emotion.

"Me? What the hell…"

"I was in Chicago at the time. Did I forget to mention that?" He continued still looking out the window.

"When were you in Chicago?"

"I followed you to Chicago, Eddie. First night you were there I ran into that girl running from something. My first instinct was to ignore her. I was there to protect you…but I just _knew_ I could help her. After Erebos told me he was looking for you I took off. That's when I found out Dad was missing, too."

My head was spinning with all the implications.

"You don't think…is he…did Erebos kill Tanya? Esme?…my mom?"

"I don't know." He offered me a commiserating look of confusion and pain.

"You told me you had no idea what we were up against… you lied to me!"

"I still don't know what the hell he is!" he shouted back. "I don't know what we're up against. I didn't want you to know about him because I don't want to accidentally tip him off. You were happy back there. Safe. Maybe if I just never followed that girl… maybe he would have moved on and neither of us would be on his radar."

I shook my head. "You want me to wish you had purposely sacrificed her life for ours?"

"Edward, we can't save everyone. And I can promise you that we won't survive fighting Erebos on our own. We need Dad," he stressed.

"No," I argued. "We need to hunt and kill these things. That's what Dad taught us. Saving people is all we can do, Jazz," I sighed.

He shook his head. That mask of anger was solidifying his features once more.

"You know what, forget it. I'll walk back. You go to Alaska. You'll know where to find me after you find the answers you're looking for."

I jumped out of the car, slamming the door as he yelled my name.

He kicked the Impala in reverse and tracked back a few feet parallel with my retreat. The traffic on the highway seemed to be the last damn worry on his mind.

Finally he realized talking me into going with him was a lost cause. He stopped and I just kept on walking. When I reached the trunk it popped open. I stared into the space for a second before reaching in and pulling out the pre-packed duffle that had one of everything. I snagged an extra case of rock salt packed shotgun shells and closed the lid.

I stared at his reflection in the rearview mirror for half a heartbeat.

It felt like I was walking out the door on my family again.

A horn blared right behind me and I jumped on to the shoulder of the highway. Jazz put the car in to drive and headed North.

I turned on my heel and headed back South.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

I called Cris back when I reached Lone Pine twenty minutes later. Luckily a truck stopped to pick me up only a few miles down the highway from where Jazz and I parted ways.

There was no answer on her end of the line.

I replayed her message to me one more time.

"Edward…I'm sorry to call…it's just…I could have sworn someone was following me when I walked home after my shift. I'm probably just paranoid but…I felt that way last night. Right before I heard the shrieking…I don't know where you are but…I could really use a friend right now…"

The message cut off without her saying goodbye. I couldn't tell if she just hung up or if something did attack her.

I thanked the driver as I climbed out of the truck cab in front of the diner. Cris was nowhere in sight, but then she had said she walked home.

And of course, I had no idea where 'home' was for her.

I headed into the diner to ask around. Knowing some random strange guy asking questions about a local girl wouldn't go over well, I pulled out the Federal Marshall badge that I had tucked away in my back pocket.

"Good morning," I said to the new waitress standing behind the cash register. She smiled. I flashed the badge quickly, adopting the stance of a trained law enforcement officer.

"My name's Edward… Skynyrd," I lied, mentally kicking myself for sounding just like Jazz and his rock references.

"Can you tell me where I might find…" _Shit I had no idea what her last name was. _"A young lady by the name of Cris?"

The waitress didn't seem surprised at all that someone was looking for the girl.

"What did she do this time?" she sighed.

"Does she get into trouble often?" I asked as if I was fleshing out a profile on a suspect.

The woman cocked a brow and smirked at me. "If by get into trouble you mean, do I have to tell a lot of you badge-sporting boys where to find her, then yes. She gets into that sort of mess almost every week."

I was surprised to hear that the girl I met that morning was constantly in trouble with the law. I knew she had some hardcore ink on her skin but appearances weren't everything.

She seemed like a very innocent soul to me.

"She lives on the outskirts of town. Take the frontage road to the logging access turn-off. Her shack is just a few feet into the woods from there. You can't miss it. You'll probably hear the heavy metal long before you see the place anyway." She laughed.

"Thanks," I replied with a nod. There was a framed photo hanging on the wall behind her that caught my eye. I easily recognized the woman in front of me as the person standing in the middle. Five other people stood around her. My eyes were drawn to the young girl with short blond hair who stood to the woman's right. Something was so familiar about the girl but I just couldn't place what it was.

"So what did she do? Or am I not allowed to know?" The waitress pried.

I shook off the confusion from staring at the picture and offered her an ironic smile. "Need to know, ma'am."

She rolled her eyes and walked off to wait on tables.

I stood there for another second, trying to riddle out the girl in the photo.

Finally I gave up and headed to Cris' house.

The walk wasn't long but my brain still felt the need to fill every second of it with thoughts. I made a list of priorities for the case in front of me. First things first, I needed to make sure Cris was safe. Secondly, I needed to know what this creature was and what the local legend was.

People who gave no credence to urban legends were flat out fools. There was a reason a story survived throughout generations, because there was always a bit of truth tossed in. And hunters considered local legends to be blessing from higher powers. Where there was a legend there was an explanation on how to kill whatever you were hunting. It took a lot of time out of researching the beasties.

The only thing I had to go off of right now was the shrieking, the fact that the creature's prey were the only ones who could hear it and that Mr. McGuinness was looking for 'sanctuary'.

At the corner at the edge of town I found a sign that pointed toward the logging access road, and a church.

A good hunter follows their gut.

A great hunter is damn near psychic.

The best hunters are two steps ahead of their own thoughts.

There was only one place a person found sanctuary. I walked into the church without a second thought.

The door was unlocked and creaked as I pushed it open slowly. The chapel was small and well worn. It was completely silent and for a moment I tried to hold my breath for fear that I would disturb the peace of the holy space.

I never had much use for religion.

I knew that Hell existed. I knew the bad things that religion warned the world about were real. But I never felt right sitting in a church.

My soul was damned from birth.

No amount of praying would ever right that destiny.

That being said, I respected the practice all the same. I'd sent many of the evils of this world back down to Hell with the rituals found in the Bible. So I supposed it had some use in my life.

"Can I help you, son?" a quiet, reverent voice asked from behind me.

I swallowed. I hated lying to clergy. It wasn't bad enough that I had damnation upon me. I had to keep adding insult to injury. I had no doubt that there was some kind of wicked karma building up against me too.

"Um…yeah," I turned. "I'm Edward Sk…"

"Edward? Carlisle's son?" he whispered.

I blinked at the man in total incredulity.

"What did you say?" I asked, slowly lowering the duffle on my shoulder in case I needed to fight.

_I should have asked Jazz what that Erebos thing looked like._

The old man in front of me was dressed like a priest. His hair was black but for the wings of grey at his temples. His eyes were blue and kind.

I didn't sense a threat from him. But how did he know…

"I'm Father Weber," he offered, reaching out his hand in a show of good faith.

I searched through the list of allies in my mind. That one did seem familiar.

"Angela's Dad?" I finally remembered.

The old man's face fell into lines of extreme anguish. "Yes," he confirmed.

"And you're a priest?" There were quite a few lingering _Thornbird _questions in the air between us.

"I wasn't always," he offered with a knowing smile.

I laughed. "It's nice to…meet a friend."

He smiled, motioning for us to sit at the first row of pews.

"I had thought Carlisle might never come back this way. He avoided California as much as possible."

"Yeah, we used to think he hated sunshine."

Father Weber laughed. "Knowing your father, it's a very distinct possibility. But…well, let's say I think he feared crossing my path too frequently."

I regarded him with questions bouncing around in my head. I looked around, hoping we were talking in complete privacy.

"Don't worry about us being interrupted," he promised. "The only time this house sees guests is Sunday."

I decided to apply rule number five and figure out exactly who this guy was. "What are doing in California? I thought Dad knew your daughter in Seattle."

"Angela went to Washington State for college and was lucky enough to be drawn for Seattle General for her residency. She would tell me about a very kind and noble doctor that she worked with. I used to think she had a crush on the man…" he explained with a far off look at the end as his words fell away into nothing.

"I'm very sorry for your loss," I offered.

I had always felt responsible for the death of Angela Weber. For everyone in that hospital that night. My mother was trying to keep me hidden from whatever killed all of those people. In essence…I was the reason Angela was killed.

My stomach twisted at the thought. I wasn't worth it.

Father Weber watched me for a moment. "If you want this to be a confessional, I won't mind. I counseled your father more than a few times. Much to his dismay, I might add."

I laughed. "You mean you got Carlisle Cullen to spill his secrets?" I teased.

Father Weber smiled. "It wasn't easy. It usually took a few bottles of Jack and some Hall and Oates albums but he would talk eventually."

We both laughed.

"So that's why he avoided California?" I figured. He nodded. "Yeah, Dad was never big on sharing what was going on inside his head."

I don't know why or how but I felt like I could open up to the man in front of me.

"He taught me how to read people. Anticipate what they will say and do…what they're thinking. I could apply the technique to anyone…everyone…except Carlisle. His mind has always been the greatest mystery to me," I confessed.

"I knew your father," Father Weber said, still watching me with his sympathetic eyes. "Carlisle was a conflicted soul, but always searching for the path of good."

"Did you know that… he's missing?" I whispered.

Father Weber shook his head quickly from side to side. "Missing?" he mouthed as if saying it out loud would make it truth.

It was a risky chance I took laying it all out there like this. It was one thing to talk to Charlie Swan about Dad being missing. Charlie was as close to a second father as we would ever have. I trusted Charlie with my very life.

I felt that I could trust Father Weber, but rule number four was staring me in the face. If you trust the wrong person with the right information you might just be sealing the death sentences of your whole family.

I couldn't place all my faith on the white and black collar around this man's neck.

_Rule number seven: Faith is best left to sinners._

I made a conscious decision to not yet tell him how long Carlisle had been missing or that we had exhausted our search for him. I weighed the next question in my mind for a few more minutes before finally asking him.

"Did he ever mention…a friend of his that lives in Alaska?"

"Eleazar?" he responded immediately.

I nodded, still undecided as to whether this man deserved my trust.

He must have noticed my anxiety. He smiled, shaking his head and leaning back against the pew. "You know, the loss of my daughter pushed me into the path of God. It shoved your father in a very different direction. I may not travel around in a classic car and salt and burn bones but I _am _a hunter, son. I've made it my life's work to dispel evil from this world. And there aren't too many hunters who don't know about Eleazar."

"We've never heard of him," I remarked unthinkingly. I wasn't surprised in the least that we were the last two hunters on earth to learn of the mysterious Eleazar. That was just the way Carlisle operated.

Father Weber nodded. "You mean, your father never told you about him," he corrected.

I frowned and he smiled.

"You father always had a good reason for his actions. Even if they paved a journey to hell for him."

"I thought you said he was always following the good path?"

He laughed again. "I said he was always _searching_ for the good path. Carlisle lost sight of his own salvation the day Esme died."

I reached forward and lifted a bible from the pew in front of me. Of all the books that I had read in my life this was the only one that had instilled fear in me. I read manuscripts about ancient evil. Legends about death and destruction. All of those stories never stuck with me as much as just the sight of this leather bound edition in my hand now.

It offered what most called 'salvation'. I called it impossible.

And that scared me.

What kind of evil was waiting for me on the other side? How could Hell be worse than life?

I fingered the cover of the book in my hand. "Then why did he bother to seek out the good in the world?"

Deep down I knew the answer. Or at least I hoped I did. I felt like a child, having to be reassured that the foundation of my world would never crumble.

"Edward…Carlisle sold his soul to protect you boys."

That emotion that had choked me in the hotel room last night was back. I had a name for it now. Shame. I was ashamed to admit that I had spent so much of my life resenting a man who had turned his own soul inside out to keep me alive. And safe.

And I was even more ashamed to realize that I was forcing my brother to take Carlisle's place.

"Father…I think…I've sinned…"

He placed his hand on my shoulder and the guilt was tenfold as I tried to narrow down just one sin that I could confess. There were too many to choose from.

"Edward, you carry a heavy weight on your shoulders. Don't allow the burden to overwhelm you," he said without any prompt for his words.

"You don't know…the things…" I mumbled.

"I do, son. I know. And I know that, like your father, you are fighting for what's right."

"Everyone I care about gets hurt," I told him.

"This life is about trials, son. You live a life that unfortunately has more trials than most."

Tears filled my eyes as I pictured Tanya's lifeless body. Jazz's scars… Carlisle's disapproval when I walked out the door.

"I don't think I'm doing too well with the challenge."

"That's why I know you're a good soul," he informed me matter-of-fact.

I stared at him in disbelief.

"You barely know me," I argued.

"I know enough. I know you would talk to a complete stranger out of the hope that you might hear about your family. I know that you are here searching for something, which means you are helping someone. And I know that you carry a guilt for the death of my daughter that rivals my own. I wish that I could relieve you of these burdens, Edward. But I couldn't hope for a…truer heart to follow this quest."

His words were confusing to me. And yet he made perfect sense. "You read all that from just a few minutes alone with me?"

He nodded. "You really have no idea how much you're like Carlisle, do you?"

I felt a sudden pang of pain in my chest. I thought it might be guilt but it was an odd sense of pride.

"I'm so confused," I muttered.

_Why did I leave Jazz?_

"This conversation has grown rather…how do you young people put it? Heavy."

I blinked at him with a blank stare. _Heavy? What young people is he relating me to? Martin McFly?_

I cleared my throat.

"Yeah…I actually came here because we were staying at the motel last night and heard…"

"The ghost?" he finished.

I nodded. "What's the case?"

He sighed. "That's one that I can't figure out myself. I've lived in this town for twenty years. The ghost in question started scaring travelers around a hundred years ago, but I've never honestly heard him, or the supposed winged creature that haunts the hills."

"Winged creature?" I echoed.

He nodded standing and walking back to the rectory. I followed him.

"It's the local legend, the _Lone Pine Mountain Devil_. Supposedly when the missionaries traveled through this land back in the day a few of the priests caught sight of this…Hell creature flying through the skies. There's a manuscript," he explained, pulling a parchment from his bookcase. "It describes the event as 'Nature's Wrath'. Apparently the creature was…vengeful that the missionaries were disturbing the forest and it carried off two of the workers in the middle of the night. The current legend is that the creature only attacks those who either don't believe its existence or have no respect for the forest."

"Is there anything about shrieking? How does it select its victims?"

"That's the interesting thing. The manuscript is from the mid 1800's. Then there's no mention of the beast until 1929 when McGuinness died. After that the legend shifts. Some hooey about a beast that stalks its prey and punishes guilty souls."

"Like a banshee?" I guessed.

He nodded. "A little. I haven't been able to truly narrow down the shift. There was a plague that wiped out the general population of the town around the turn of the century. I don't know if that changed the hunting habits of the creature or what. We don't have too many issues with the beast, either way. I haven't heard of anyone actually being attacked in the last…oh, ten years. And even then the town ruled it a bear attack."

I shifted my legs as I read through the manuscript he handed me. It was written in Latin.

"Latin?" I asked with raised brows. "Didn't you say this was from the 1800's?"

He smiled. "I think they hoped it would exorcise the demon. You read Latin?" he asked.

"Yeah, Carlisle didn't believe in us just memorizing rituals. He wanted us to understand what we were saying."

"That sounds like him."

"How often do people report hearing the ghost?"

"Oh…not that often. There's actually only been one other person I've known of report hearing the ghost. A nice girl. She actually lives out back," he explained.

"Cris?" I asked hopefully.

He nodded. "You know her?"

"Well…I met her. She's…I think she's being tracked by the creature."

Father Weber sat down in the chair behind his desk.

"I should warn you that she's a troubled young girl. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia about three years ago. She visited me a few weeks ago, telling me she heard the ghost. I didn't know whether to believe her or not. She told me a few months ago that Satan was talking to her through her refrigerator."

It was rude to laugh but I couldn't help it. Jazz had me convinced the gates of Hell were in the fridge after we watched Ghostbusters when we were kids. The irony tickled me.

"So, do you think there's anything to it?" I pressed.

He shrugged. "Can't hurt to check it out, right?" he pointed out.

He opened up a hidden panel behind the grandfather clock beside his desk, pulling out a shotgun and what looked like a cleaning spray bottle.

"Holy water," he said, shaking the spray bottle.

"My brother would have a smart ass remark about disinfecting demons or something like that," I laughed.

"So would your father," he added.

The walk to Cris' house was relatively quiet. I scanned the forest. I had no clue what I was looking for.

"How big did the priest say the creature was?"

"Big enough to carry a grown man with its talons."

"How do you think we go about killing such a thing?"

It suddenly struck me that I was out of my element. I wasn't used to worrying about killing the monsters we hunted. But then, I usually had Jazz standing next to me. Sure, I'd burned bones and decapitated ghouls but it wasn't the same feeling as I walked toward Cris' house that I had on other cases. I always knew Jazz had my back.

Even with Father Weber next to me I felt completely alone.

"How far away is her house?" I asked after a few minutes.

"Just past that bunch of trees," he said, waving ahead of us.

"I would have thought this would all be covered in snow." I attempted small talk. It wasn't my forte. I couldn't just talk to people. I needed a purpose and subject to the conversation. Snow was still stuck on my mind.

"Oh, we get it at the edge of the forest. Mostly we don't get the really bad weather until February. You passed through just in time," he explained. "We do get frost and the occasional rain storm. We had a bunch of rain about two days ago, hence the mud."

I nodded, feeling my boots sink into the sticky forest floor.

Much to my relief we found our way to the access road. It was still muddy but easier to walk on.

I noticed fresh tracks in the mud. "Do you get a lot of logging trucks up this way, this time of year?" The tracks didn't look big enough to be from trucks but I couldn't imagine anyone else wanting to drive up this road in the middle of winter.

Father Weber shook his head. "No. It's too dangerous with the unpredictable weather. It's more a summer trade. I don't know what these tracks are from."

We knelt down to inspect the tread. I recognized it immediately.

"Impossible," I whispered.

"What?"

"This is…Son of a bitch." I jumped to my feet and ran down the road. I cursed again when I caught sight of the black paint just past the trees.

The Impala was parked in front of the small house.

"Isn't that your father's car?" Father Webber asked.

I nodded, looking around for Jazz.

"Jazz!" I yelled. "Jasper where are you?"

I inspected the car. Nothing looked out of place. The doors and trunk were all shut and locked. There were no signs of struggle around the car.

That meant he got out without being attacked.

"Jazz!" I screamed again.

Father Weber headed toward the front porch of the house.

I was terrified to walk away from the car. My heart was in my throat, choking me with fear.

_Think Edward, think._ I would almost swear I felt the Impala shove me toward the forest where I noticed the footprints.

"I found something!" I shouted, hoping Father Weber hadn't disappeared like everyone else around here.

I could hear him running up behind me.

"What is it?"

"It's a boot," I said, running my finger along the edge of the imprint to gauge the size of the shoe. "My brother's cowboy boot to be exact."

We looked around but couldn't find any other tracks.

"Do you suppose?" he asked looking toward the sky.

I hadn't had time to process what the creature was before I had to accept that my brother had been carried off by it.

"Did the missionaries ever find the thing's lair?"

Father Weber looked around, fear creeping into his features.

"Father, think," I barked, sounding like my brother. "Where would the creature take them?"

He shook his head. "I don't…I…I don't…" he stuttered.

"Shit," I cursed. I looked around for any kind of sign.

"Wait…what did you say the new legend was? What brought the creature out?"

Father Weber was two shades paler as he looked up at me.

"Disrespect for nature is believed to be the main cause," he rasped.

"You're not going to…to…" he gasped when I pulled out my lighter.

"Get your game face on, Father," I warned.

I lit the tallest tree next to me on fire. I felt guilty doing it. Somewhere in the back of my mind Smokey the Bear was getting ready to kick my ass.

But I needed to find this thing. Fast.

The screeching started almost as soon as the smoke hit the sky.

I hit the ground. My head felt like it would explode. My entire body convulsed with the effort to resist just passing out from the pain.

"Father," I pleaded with all the strength left inside of me. "Find us."

I felt my body slip into unconsciousness, feeling weightless, like I was flying.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"_Edward," Tanya said. "My, my, my you're a sleepyhead these days," she teased._

_I opened my eyes, smiling at her. _

"_Why are we in the car?" I asked, yawning. _

_She giggled. "You keep falling asleep."_

"_Oh," I said, staring at her. She was so beautiful. "Sorry."_

_Her smile fell slightly. "Are you okay? You kept yelling in your sleep. Were you having a nightmare?"_

_I tried to remember what I dreamed about. It was fuzzy and almost painful to think about it. _

"_I don't know… I…it was like I was back in my old life," I tried explain._

_I could vaguely remember Jasper being there. Something horrible happened and we had to go back out on the road._

"_It seemed so real," I mumbled._

"_Old life?" she laughed. "Edward, you're acting like you were somebody else before you met me. I don't believe you."_

_I smiled at her. "That guy is long gone, sweetheart. Promise." I reached across the car and snagged her hand in mine. The warmth of her fingers entwined with my own._

"_You're so cold, Edward," she noticed. _

"_Must be from sleeping so long," I joked._

"_Where are we going?" she asked with bright eyes._

_I had a moment of déjà vu. I knew that I'd been in this moment before._

"_I…where do you want to go," I asked as I tried to shake the sensation of panic._

"_Let's go somewhere fun…somewhere far away. Just put the car in drive and let's go."_

_I searched her eyes for some explanation as to why we were in the car in the first place. I tried to remember what we were doing before we got here._

_It was blank. _

"_What were we doing…" I muttered, forcing my mind to break through the fog._

"_Edward…" she whispered. "You're so cold…"_

"_Tanya," I said._

_Then it hit me. The memory of finding her in our bedroom. Jazz showing up and dragging me back into the world of hunting. All of it._

"_This isn't real," I said, glancing back at her._

_My Tanya was gone, replaced by the red-eyed demon._

"_You're so cold, Edward," she repeated._

"_And you're just a nightmare," I contested. I reached under the driver's seat, pulling out the knife I kept concealed there._

"_You can't leave me again," she promised._

_I felt everything slipping away as I plunged the knife through her chest. _

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

I woke up, gasping for breath and completely disoriented.

"What the hell," I groaned.

"Eddie? Is that you?" I heard Jazz ask from somewhere behind me.

"Jazz?" I croaked. "Where are we?"

"I don't know…a cave, I think."

I tried to move but my hands were tied behind my back.

"How did you get here?" I asked.

"You didn't really think I could leave you behind, did you?"

My heart sunk when I realized I hadn't really thought about it. I had been so focused on helping Cris.

"Is Cris here?"

"I don't think so. But there's a pile of bones in the corner. Not sure how long ago that thing ate."

I tried to move to see further inside the cave. I was facing toward the entrance and when I tried to turn my head to the side there was a shooting pain behind my eyes.

"I think I have a concussion," I warned him.

"You also have a never-ending obsession with dreaming about that chick from Chicago," he pointed out.

If I didn't think the pain would kill me I would have rolled my eyes.

"Did you get a look at this thing, Jazz?"

"It's big, Eddie. Two huge wings…a mouth full of sharp pointy teeth."

"How do we stop it?"

"I find that detaching heads usually works on just about anything."

I sighed. "And how do you propose we get close enough to chop off its head?"

"Working on that part," he promised.

I dislocated my thumb on my right hand and wiggled my wrist free of the rope, freeing my left hand in the process.

"How the hell did it tie us up?" I asked, snapping my thumb back into place.

"It threw me against the wall so hard I blacked out. When I woke up I was like this," he explained.

I turned to find him hanging from the ceiling of the cave. His wrists were bound above his head and his body dangled down like a he was a marionette puppet.

"Shit," I spat, looking up at him.

"I can't feel my toes, dude," he replied emphatically.

I crawled closer to him, fighting back the urge to vomit when the world sloshed around in my vision.

I grabbed a hold of his ankle to help steady myself as I stood.

"Son of bitch, that stings!" he yelled in protestation.

I felt around in his jacket and found his handgun.

"Eddie, what are you doing?"

"There aren't any ladders around, bro," I pointed out. "I'm just gonna shoot the rope and you'll come tumbling down." It seemed like a pretty fail safe plan to me.

I blinked my eyes to bring the rope into focus.

"You sure you can see it?" Jazz asked in panic.

"How many ropes did it use to tie you up?" I asked, hoping at least one of the five lines swirling above his head held still long enough for me to shoot it.

"Eddie," he warned.

"I got it, Jazz," I assured him, narrowing my eyes and squeezing back the trigger.

"Just a little higher!" he shouted just as the gun went off.

The bullet snapped the rope in half and gravity took care of the rest. I helped break his fall by not moving out of the way fast enough.

We both landed on the hard cave floor with a thud.

"Uh," Jazz grunted.

"Edward," he huffed. "The next time I say we're going to Alaska…"

"We'll go to Alaska," I agreed.

We sat up, leaning against each other for support.

"Where did it go?" I asked.

"It dropped you off and then flew back out the opening."

"And no sign of the girl?"

I could feel his head shaking from side to side.

"Just once can't we have a simple, easy to handle case?" I grumbled.

Jazz chuckled. "What the hell would be the fun in that?"

I laughed.

"How did you find it?" he asked.

"I…uh…went to church."

"Figures."

"Hey, Eddie?"

"Yeah?" 

"When it comes back, try not to pass out."

I nodded. "I'll try."

I could sense that the creature's return was near.

"Don't suppose we can hope for any back up?" Jazz asked sarcastically.

I shrugged. "There was a priest," I offered.

"A priest?" He looked over his shoulder at me in amazement.

"I leave you alone for one afternoon and you're taking vows?"

"Long story," I mumbled.

I could hear the screech in the distance. I clamped my fists against the sides of my head in protest.

"Eddie?" Jazz shouted.

"It's coming!"

He yanked me to my feet and we scrambled to the mouth of the cave like we were in an awkward three-legged race.

The full force of the shriek was released and I screamed as the pain drove all control of my vision from my eyes.

"I can't see!" I warned Jazz.

He missed a step near the entrance and we went down, hard.

"Shit," he cursed.

"What?" I asked, feeling completely impotent to help him.

"It's flying this way," he explained.

"The girl?" I asked with baited breaths.

"I don't see her."

"No," I moaned. I had done it all for nothing. Risked my life to come back and save her. Put Jazz's life in danger… all for what?

_To have exactly what Jazz had warned me about happening._

"Edward!" a familiar voice shouted from somewhere in the darkness.

"Who the hell is that?" Jazz muttered.

"That's Father Weber," I told him. Even though I was as blind as a bat I recognized the sound of the old man's voice.

"What's he doing?" I asked.

"The monster is heading towards him…shit…it's on the warpath, we gotta get out of here." Jazz shoved at me to help me to my feet.

"No! Jazz what about Father Weber?"

"He's got a flare gun raised…I think he's gonna…Oh, shit!" he yelled just as I heard loud pop and then a hissing sound.

I could smell burning flesh.

"What the hell just happened?" I yelled.

"He got it," Jazz assured me.

Relief washed over me and though I knew I'd catch shit for it later I let go and fell off into unconsciousness once more.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"_Wake up, you silly boy," she said, running her fingers through my hair._

_I smiled._

"_Maybe you should just go on the trip without me," I teased._

"_There's no point to the trip without you, Edward," she told me._

_I peeked my eyes open. Her beauty took my breath away._

"_Tanya?" I whispered._

_She nodded._

"_Why can't I stay awake?" I felt my brow wrinkle with confusion. "I don't want to leave you again."_

"_Don't worry, Edward," she whispered back. "We'll be together. Soon."_

_My eyes were suddenly far too heavy to keep open. I felt her kiss my cheek._

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

I wasn't disoriented when I opened my eyes this time. But I was confused.

Those moments with Tanya in the car felt so real. As real as sitting here in this cold, dark cave with Jazz was.

I kept telling myself that I knew what was real.

This was real…wasn't it?

This wasn't the dream.

It couldn't be…could it?

"Well," Jazz said, brushing off dirt from pants. "That thing went poof so I guess that means it's over."

I looked around. "What happened to the girl?"

"While you were catnapping," he glared at me, "I inspected the pile of bodies in the corner. Here," he said, holding a small, laminated card out to me.

My heart sunk as I realized it was a nametag. I was almost too afraid to confirm that her name was printed on the damn thing.

"I'm useless," I mumbled.

"You're human," Jazz offered. "And that's not a bad thing."

"Are you boys okay?" Father Weber called from outside the cave.

"Yeah!" we answered in unison.

Jazz helped me to my feet and we walked out of the cave, leaning on each other.

"Thanks for the help, padre," Jazz said, shaking Father Weber's hand.

"It was my pleasure," he promised. "I owed your dad that one."

Jazz slapped his shoulder and nodded to him in thanks. I wanted to stop Jazz and have him sit down and talk to the old guy for a few hours. The secrets he must know about Carlisle. The insight that he could offer us on this quest ahead of us.

Screw Eleazar. This guy would probably be more help to us in the long run.

But I was tired. I felt drained and weak. I was afraid to close my eyes because I wasn't sure yet which dream world I wanted to exist in.

Jazz helped me into the Impala and we decided to stop for some lunch before hitting the road.

I clutched the nametag in my hand all the way back to the diner.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"That'll be ten-fifty," the guy behind the counter told me.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my last twenty. I handed the order to Jazz and he headed out to the car. As the kid collected my change I stared at the photo that had bug the shit out of me the other day.

I realized the guy in front of me was also in the photo.

"What is that?" I asked, pointing to the picture.

He looked over his shoulder and then back at me. "That's the staff picture that we took a few weeks ago," he told me, handing me my change.

I looked closely at the picture once more. "Who is that?" I asked pointing to the blond girl. I still couldn't place why I thought she looked familiar.

"That's Cris," he said.

I stared at the photo for another minute, completely tuning out the kid asking the people behind me where they would like to sit. That face…the girl…Cris?

I walked back out to the car. Jazz was shoving fists full of chilly fries in his mouth as I reached for my burger.

"What?" he asked, noticing the way I was staring off into the distance.

"She wasn't her," I mumbled under my breath.

"Who wasn't who?" Jazz prodded.

"Eddie?"

I shook my head. "The girl…there was a photo on the wall of the staff. The girl in it…she wasn't the chick we met."

"The dead girl?" he asked.

I nodded.

"What does that mean?"

I shrugged. "Don't know."

I was bled out of answers for the moment.

We pulled out of town. I noticed Jazz turned on to the east-bound highway.

"Where are we going?"

"A wise guy once told me you have to start at the beginning to get to the end," he offered.

I smiled to myself.

Carlisle used to say that whenever Jazz was jumping to conclusions in a case.

"St. Louis?"

He nodded. "St. Louis."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Cris PoV:**

I stalked my way forward from the shadows of the cave.

The screech on the wind warned that my pet was close. I could hear the clergyman's cries and they were sweet music to my ears.

His body flopped against the stone floor when my pet released him.

I smiled to my darling, thanking him for his hard work. In a flash of a light he disappeared, his form returning to my arm once more. I ran my hand lovingly over my arm.

"Where is she?" the priest blubbered. "You told me…that I could be reunited with my daughter…"

"Shhh," I hushed his sobs with my fingers against his lips.

I smiled. "And so you shall."

"What are you?" he asked, his eyes belying a guilt that would ensure he would walk the wasteland of purgatory without the hope of salvation.

I knelt down before the holy man, sizing up his miserable excuse for an end.

"I am the first of many," I promised.

"You can't succeed," he begged hopelessly.

This coerced a second smile to my lips.

"We already have. And you played your part beautifully," I assured him.

Tears welled in his eyes, cries of anguish and forgiveness fell from his lips.

My knife slipped along the fragile flesh of his neck effortlessly. His blood drained into my waiting chalice with a rush of warmth.

"_Mors excepit_," I vowed, drinking the blood with a moan of pleasure.

I drained him dry, leaving no trace of his blood behind. There were those in our community who could learn from my skill in that matter.

The messes left in the Cullen homes were ghastly crude displays. There was absolutely no need to be sloppy.

Licking my lips, I pulled my cell phone from my pocket and dialed.

"It's done," I said.

"I have his scent. And we have his mind."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**A/N: Okay, come on, I know you have to have some questions after this one. Lay them on me. I can't promise I'll reveal too much but I am very interested to see what you're thinking.**

**I know, I know…if you've ever read other fics of mine you saw a name appear in this chapter that you've seem many times before. All I'll say about him at the moment is he's gonna be so much fun to write and hopefully he'll be fun to read. **

**Lyrics: **_Eye of the Tiger_ by Survivor

**Lone Pine Mountain Devil**: Although no real-life pictures of the creature exist, there are supposedly videos of it on YouTube. The animal has been featured in many recent events. A popular belief is that the creature attacks any person or animal which disturbs the ambiance and inner peace of its natural habitat. A wider expansion of that is that any person, or animal which disrespects nature, wilderness or doubts the existence of the creature is targeted by it. Although there is no significant mention of the creature, famous accounts of priests describing the creature themselves do exist. One early account by a priest described them "winged demons" sent from the "depths of hell." (Wikipedia)

_**Mors excepit:**_ Death is welcomed. (Google translator)


	5. Chapter 4: June 10th, 2010

**A/N: Thanks for reading! One of the things that I love about Supernatural is the ease with which the writers blend prophetic drama with outlandish absurdities. So…enjoy. **

**And thanks to those who take the time to review! It means a lot to me! I love to hear your theories on what will happen next. **

**Twilight and Supernatural belong to people who are not me. I'm just having fun. **

**To my lovely, wonderful and patient prereaders, you gals are the greatest support team ever. You helped me really focus on what was important for this chapter and weed out the other stuff. Thank you!**

**And to my dear TwilightMomofTwo, thanks for your patience and hard work! Love ya! **

**This chapter was kind of inspired by a movie that I saw a preview for at Comic Con with my good friends Lids and Nico. (**_**Knights of Badassdom**_**) I recommend looking up the trailer and watching it for visuals of this chapter. **

**This fic is rated M for a reason. Please read responsibly. **

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"People are strange when you're a stranger.

Faces look ugly when you're alone.

Women seem wicked when you're unwanted.

Streets are uneven when you're down."

(**People are strange, The Doors**)

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Then:**

**(June 13****th****, 2009)**

_I kicked the wooden plank out of my path._

"_Son of a bitch," I cursed as I surveyed the wreckage. _

_Of all the times for him to finally decide to betray me._

_I knelt down to inspect the ashes. _

_Cold._

"_Shit," I spat in frustration._

_I thought back through the last conversation that I'd had with him. He didn't say anything about trouble on the horizon. He hadn't contacted me for help, either._

What the hell kind of trouble has he gotten into now?

_The rumors must have had some truth to them then. All that talk about 'Ascension' and he probably turned tail and ran. _

"_Fucking coward." _

_It was as close to a eulogy as he would ever receive from me. I didn't know if he was part of the ashes or if he was the one who set the fire on his way out of town. _

_Either way, he was now officially dead to me._

"_You damn well better hope you're already pushing up daisies when I find you," I vowed to the open air in front of me._

"_Carlisle Cullen, I presume?" a voice asked from behind me._

_I turned slowly, grabbing my .45 discreetly from my jacket pocket as I did. _

"_And just who in the hell might you be?"_

_Her lips curved with wicked promise. Her lilac eyes sparkled with secrets._

"_I'm the one you're looking for."_

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Now:**

**(June 10****th****, 2010)**

**Lesson four: **Trust is the difference between walking away and getting blown away

**Jazz PoV: (Trapper Creek, Alaska)**

It's easy to feel a shitty week creeping up on you. It starts with you forgetting to pull your toast from the toaster before it gets cold. Then you shake the crap out of the shampoo bottle, pleading for one more drop to squeeze out. You knew you had to replace it but you just kept forgetting to do it until finally you're rubbing hand soap in your hair and hoping you don't get a scalp disease.

I had a long string of shitty days…weeks…hell, _years_ under my belt. I had lived so long in the crap that I honestly forgot what it was like to not wake up groaning in disgust at myself.

After leaving California, I pointed the Impala in every damn direction but north. We started in St. Louis only to find bupkis. After that we just followed omens and signs for cases.

An abundance of lucky chances for a gang of housewives in Tennessee spelled dark magic. Then there was a nasty infestation of zombies in some Florida swamps. You really haven't examined the human body until you find parts of it stuck in the mud. There were ghosts and ghouls, more than I cared to count. It felt like old times again. It was almost like having my feet back under me finally, after a year of being without my family.

But while most things were going good, there were random little warnings that kept pushing me closer to the decision of finally heading to Alaska.

Edward started changing.

At first it was little things like his dreams and talking in his sleep. I found his pills laying around all over the motel rooms, in the car, sometimes even on the table in the diners we stopped to eat at. For someone who kept those things guarded like his dirtiest little secret, he was getting pretty sloppy with keeping track of them. His attitude started shifting too. He was moodier. He had always been a moody bitch, but this was different.

He was touchy about cases, less willing to just stop at a town to help wherever we could. I blamed myself for that. We both had learned a hard lesson about being human. I tried my damnedest to rebuild his confidence but he just wasn't having any of it. He did the research but he deferred the actual hunts to me. He hardly spoke to the waitresses when we stopped to eat. He never made eye contact with the victims that we interrogated. He didn't make whiny comments about the names on our fake ID's. It felt like he was pulling away.

Then there was the really weird shit.

I'd wake up in the middle of the night and he'd just be standing with the door open, staring outside. When I would call his name it was like he didn't realize he was standing there. He did that a lot.

I thought that it was a phase, a momentary shift in his character that maybe was the next step in grieving the loss of Tanya. I honestly would have preferred him to stick to desperately hunting that thing that killed Esme and Tanya. His head wasn't in the game properly back then, but at least it was in the game. It didn't seem to bug him one bit that bad shit was happening all around us. That just wasn't like my brother.

The worst thing was, he didn't even seem to notice.

I was out of ideas on how to help him. I considered dragging him to Washington and having Charlie talk to him, but even the mention of the Swans put Edward on edge. I made the mistake of saying some chick in Kentucky looked like Iz and he lost his shit right there on the sidewalk. Iz was probably the least threatening person in the universe to us, especially Edward. Why he was terrified of her name like it was deadly incantation, I had no fucking clue.

I was starting to lose my calm. Every night I would wait for him to fall asleep and then I'd beg our dad to come home. I didn't believe in God, but I did _know _that if it were in his power, Carlisle would hear me and he would help us.

When Dad was a no-show, I had to start accepting that there was only one option left. Even then, though, I didn't want to believe it. I felt like even considering looking for Eleazar meant that I was giving up on Edward.

My mind was finally made up for me two weeks ago. We were working a job in Salvation, Iowa, when one morning I awoke to find Edward gone. He didn't leave a note. He wouldn't answer his cell. I went out of my damn head with worry. I didn't know if he was dead or kidnapped.

I kept picturing that demon from Chicago…Erebos…I remembered the promise in his voice when he said he was looking for Edward.

It took me a week to find him and when I did, he was sitting in a bar two counties over. He had no idea how he had gotten there and no memory of what he had done for the seven days that we were separated. He was tight-lipped on any theories as to why it happened, too.

A sinking feeling started in my stomach that day. It took me straight back to the worst day of my life.

"_You know how to kill a demon, son?" Dad asked._

_I shook my head. "You can't kill a demon, sir. All you can do is send it back to hell," I recited._

_He nodded, mollified by my response. "That's the truth about everything that's evil, Jasper. You can't destroy evil. All you can do is hold it off long enough to get the hell out of town."_

_I wanted to ask him what he was talking about. I could tell that something was bothering him. I could sense that he was afraid of something._

_But it wasn't my place to question him. When I needed to know something, he would tell me. _

"_How far would you go to protect the ones you love?" he asked._

_I stared straight into his eyes. I knew this was a test. _

_There was a time, not that long ago, when I didn't have anyone in my life. Back then, I didn't believe I would ever love anyone. _

_I still didn't know if I loved anyone, but I knew I would die to protect my family._

"_Family is everything, sir."_

_He nodded again, approval shinning in his eyes. _

"_You remember that when the time comes."_

I didn't warn Edward where we were going. I just headed north the morning after I found him in that bar. He caught on when I didn't slow down for anything other than to gas up and show the dude at the Canadian border our passports. He didn't ask me why I was suddenly interested to follow what was probably a dead lead.

My brother and I had this silent language with each other. I knew something was up with him. He knew my top priority was to protect him. So Alaska was our only destination in the near future.

The shit storm settled in with a vengeance after that.

That first morning on the road, the heel on one of my favorite cowboy boots broke off.

That was a sign—a giant, red blazing flag that the universe was sending me.

Danger: Shitty week ahead.

_Fuck that, _I thought. _Shitty life ahead._

"I don't fucking believe this!" I shouted, slamming the hood shut. It had been the longest week to get to Alaska and now that we were finally there the Impala just up and died.

_I finally make up my mind to go through with this and even the damn car is against me._

Edward was sitting behind the wheel, trying to get the engine to turn over. He rolled the window down, leaning out to shout back. "When was the last time you had it tuned up?"

_Tuned up? You don't tune up the Impala. You don't stop off at some Joe Schmoe's garage and have him put his hands all over my precious baby. _

"Don't know," I snapped.

"Well, does it need oil or something?" he prompted, completely clueless.

Edward was as skilled with fixing cars as he was with picking up women. God help us if something was to happen to me and he was left in charge of taking care of the Chevy. I tried to remind myself to not just bite his head off. He was trying to help.

_That's a huge shift back to the old Edward, _I told myself. _Don't blow it now, Jazz._

"No. I don't know what she needs." I tried to mask the annoyance in my voice, but I could feel my temper getting the better of me.

He got out of the car and leaned against the hood with his hands in his pockets. "Why do you always call the car a 'she'?" he asked.

_Apparently he wants to keep the idiocy streaking like a whore on holiday today_. I tried to count to ten in my head. I made it to 'one'.

I rolled my eyes. "Eddie, cars are like… _girls_."

"That's an analogy that's always troubled me. I cared for my Volvo but not as a _lover_. There are too many references to women being used…ridden hard then left for spare parts... I've always thought of women to be more like…well, women."

He blinked at me in earnestness.

"You're such a _nerd_," I grumbled.

"Not objectifying women doesn't automatically make me a nerd," he defended.

"You're right, this conversation is what does it," I pointed out.

"Come on, Jazz. Don't misdirect your anger at me."

"Eddie, saying shit like 'misdirect your anger' is exactly what gets me pissed off," I shot back.

He shifted his gaze to the wilderness on the other side of the road. He was Jekyll and Hyde these days. The old Edward would have kept fighting me. The more recent Edward wouldn't have talked to me at all. I didn't know which one I was dealing with right now.

"So…now what?" he asked stupidly.

I pulled my phone out of my back pocket, holding it up toward the sky and praying to the cell-tower gods that I could get reception out in the middle of the ass-end-of-nowhere.

"Shit," I spat.

"No reception?"

I cringed as he said it.

"You know, Eddie…" I took a deep breath before continuing. "You might want to not talk for the remainder of the day," I warned.

Captain Obvious took my advice and shut his mouth.

I opened the trunk, pulling out a duffel bag and filling it with an assortment of weapons. I wasn't sure what to bring. Even if we had hit the road straight out of Phoenix this could have been a cold lead. That was six months ago. Who knew what was still left out here for us to find.

_Hell, it's been a year since either of us has seen the old man, _I reminded myself. _What if he's…_

I couldn't finish that thought.

Charlie described Eleazar as Dad's "insurance". Hell if I knew what that meant. I lived with Carlisle Cullen for thirteen years and never heard the name until that night.

Edward said he thought it sounded familiar but he couldn't figure out why. He also said that the priest back in California warned that all hunters knew who the dude was. Which, in my estimation, meant he wasn't a hunter but rather a thing we should be hunting. Dad wasn't the kind to take out a life insurance plan the old-fashioned way. God only knew what kind of deal he had with this dude. I made sure to grab one of everything, just in case.

_Nothing like being caught off guard during a shitty week_.

"Grab the suitcases, will ya?" I hollered.

He pulled the bags from the backseat and I locked the doors.

"The last sign we passed said Trapper Creek was two miles up the road. From what I could see on the maps there isn't really a town," Edward rambled as we started walking down the highway. "Might be a hiking outpost or something, though."

"All we need is a payphone," I grumbled.

"What time is it?" he asked a few feet from the car. "I'm not getting any service on my phone."

"Don't you wear a watch?"

He shook his head.

"Then it's _time_ you started wearing one," I offered cynically.

"Jazz…come on. What time is it? I thought it was close to six o'clock when we passed that last bridge but it still looks like it's midday out here."

"We're in Alaska, Eddie. Summertime. The daylight lasts for about twenty-one hours these days," I explained, never once slowing my stride. "You went to that fancy college. You put two and fucking two together."

"Are you going to be a jerk the entire time we're in Alaska?" he grumbled.

"Are you going to be near me the entire time we're in Alaska?" I asked.

He groaned but took the hint to shut the hell up.

The road led us to the edge of the Denali Forest. Much to our relief and surprise there was a hiking outpost and hotel set up just off the road.

Something kind of alarm was ticking in the back of my mind. I couldn't put my finger on it but there was something off here. I shook off the sensation. I would figure it out after I found a phone.

"Check it out," Edward said, waving toward the field behind the hotel.

"What is it?"

"Looks like some kind of fair or something," he guessed.

Even though it was bright and sunny, and would remain that way for hours still, I could see a few bonfires lit with tents scattered all around them. There were tons of people roaming around the campground but I could not have cared less about them.

"Huh," I grunted but continued on to the hotel. The campsite sent that alarm warning ticking faster in my mind. I just shoved it aside. I had only one priority here.

"Good evening, my fine young gentlemen!" the elderly woman at the front desk proclaimed when we entered the lobby. She was at least sixty years old, white hair and dressed in a wench costume straight out of a _Medieval Times_ floor show.

I choked, trying to catch myself from laughing in her face.

Edward slapped my back as if he was helping me clear a cough.

"You okay, bro?" he asked, landing another hard slap to my back.

I glared, elbowing him to get him to stop.

"I'm good," I assured him. "We need a room," I told the geriatric serving wench.

"Oh, are you boys in town for the Netherworld LARPing festival?" the old woman asked with far too much enthusiasm.

"Do I even want to know what the hell that is?" I asked without filtering the thought before speaking.

Edward slapped my back again.

"Live action role playing," he stage-whispered.

I raised an eyebrow in his direction.

_As if I know what the hell that means._

"Um, no, we're just passing through. Our car broke down a few miles out of town. We were relieved to see your hotel," Edward explained.

I turned to lean back against the counter while he took care of the checking in business. I noticed more than one person wandering around the room wearing costumes.

"Why do I get the feeling we're standing in the middle of a scene from Lord of the Rings?" I inquired blankly.

_Grown men in costumes, how is that not psychotic? _An uneasy feeling danced along my spine. It might have just been the fact that dudes in tights gave me the heebie jeebies automatically, but I just knew something was off here. It was almost like déjà vu or that sensation you get when you're under a spell… I'd had my fair share of hexes and curses thrown at me. I had a gift for recognizing when something was shifting reality.

Edward called it my ability to _sense the disturbances in the Force_.

My brother clenched his jaw and surprisingly fought the urge to roll his eyes at my teasing.

"Ah, Mr. Zeppelin," the receptionist said. "I'll get your room set up for you straight away."

"Thanks," he replied. "Man…always with the rock music?" he complained under his breath.

"Dude," I warned. "Zeppelin rocks. _Stairway to Heaven _is a classic."

"Zeppelin may rock but _Ed _Zeppelin? Really? Do you want them to assume my parents hated me?"

I chuckled under my breath. It was a pleasant surprise to hear him bitching about the fake name. He hadn't bothered noticing any of them for so long now.

There was an awkward shuffle with some dudes wearing pig masks as we headed upstairs. I shook my head.

"Un-fucking-believable," I muttered under my breath.

We ended up on the second floor, overlooking the freak show carnival out in the meadow.

"Wow, these guys are hardcore," Edward said, doing the Jimmy Stewart impersonation out the back window.

"Hardcore living in their mama's basement?"

"Are you going to be an ass if we go downstairs?"

I shrugged, reaching for the phone on the nightstand. "I'm pretty much gonna be an ass wherever the hell I am, Eddie. Thought you would've learned that by now."

He smiled crookedly, probably remembering the numerous examples of my colorful character.

My first order of business was to contact my mechanic back in Forks—Emmett McCarty. There were only three people allowed to touch the Impala's inner workings–Carlisle, myself, and Emmett.

"Em, dude, you need to get your ass to Alaska," I demanded without bothering with some stupid ass greeting.

His booming laugh vibrated the receiver. "Well, hello to you too, Jasper. It's been a while. Nice to hear your _sultry _voice," he teased. "What happened this time? Did you electrocute it again? I told you those spark plugs wouldn't last a second round."

"No. I don't know what's up with her this time, Em. She just…stopped. She's full on all fluids. Her engine was purring. Everything was running smooth. We hit the middle of B.F.E. and she just stalled. I'm worried."

"Don't stress, dude. Where exactly are you?"

"Trapper Creek, just before the Denali National Park."

"I know the place. It's not accessible by plane. I'm gonna have to drive there. I'll be there in like three days time…maybe two if I drive fast."

"Drive fast," I murmured.

Em laughed. "In the meantime, I know a guy close to there who can tow her. You two find shelter?"

"In a manner of speaking," I grumbled. My stomach churned with apprehension.

_I think I'm getting an ulcer._

Em assured me there was nothing to worry about. The Impala would be safe. He told me to enjoy the scenery. I hung up on his ass. Luckily, I knew that Em would find my pissy attitude funny.

My stomach muscled through the anxiety to growl in hunger, reminding me that I had more needs than just attending to my baby.

"Dinner time?" Edward asked.

I nodded reluctantly as he stood and walked to the bathroom. I noticed his prescription bottle lying on his bed.

_Just when I thought he was doing better, _I thought_. _I elected to not mention the pills for the time being. Maybe they had just fallen out of his pocket by accident.

"How long did Em say it would take him to get here?" he asked, stepping out of the bathroom.

"Uh…three days tops. So it looks like we're stuck here till then."

"Where do you think Eleazar is? Charlie wasn't exactly clear on directions. I mean…we _are_ in Trapper Creek…do you suppose he's…" He shrugged his shoulders, waving his hands toward the window like Eleazar would magically appear floating there like Peter Pan or something.

I just shook my head. I couldn't shake the sensation that something was up with this place. Be it Eleazar or just the whack-a-doodle convention outside, I was pretty sure we weren't in Kansas anymore. I kept my mouth shut on theories, or even suspicions for the moment, though. There was a reason the car didn't make it as far as Trapper Creek. An explanation for Edward's sudden shift back to his old behavior. I just had to figure out what was going on here.

Carlisle used to tell me that intuition was more important than anything I'd learn from reading a book. The best hunters were always two steps ahead of their own thoughts.

I decided to just ignore the subject of Dad's past for the moment and continued to focus on finding food.

"You think they have room service?" I hoped. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end just at the thought of going back downstairs.

Edward laughed. "I highly doubt it. I don't think they have a kitchen. It looks like whatever the festival is the lady in the lobby mentioned has some sort of food."

"Yeah, explain that shit to me again. Why is everyone acting like tonight is Halloween?"

"First of all, you _do _realize that we wear costumes all of the time, right?"

"We work cases…run improvisational cons to get information…"

"Right, we play pretend," he filled in with a sarcastic scowl.

"Look, putting on a suit and working a con as a fake F.B.I. agent is different than pretending I'm half pig."

"Acting is acting, Jazz," he defended.

"There's a bug up your ass," I noted, watching the way he shifted his eyes when he spoke. The tips of his ears were turning pink too. He was trying to deflect this discussion. Why? "What was it you called this thing again? Burping, or something?"

"LARPing," he sighed.

I raised my eyebrows in invitation for him to supply the answer first. He knew I'd march downstairs and corner the first sword-sporting, tights-wearing dork I could find to fill me in.

"Live action role playing," he repeated.

I shook my head in confusion. There was only one kind of role playing that made sense to me. And though kinky shit went along with that it usually wasn't put on display for the world to see.

"It's um…do you remember Dungeons and Dragons?"

It took me a second to rewind my mind back to why that would be important. An image of Edward wearing a long black cloak and his favorite _Frodo Lives _T-shirt popped into my head.

I laughed…so damn hard I fell off the bed.

That took me straight back to a summer seven, maybe eight years ago. We were staying with the Swans for a few weeks while Carlisle helped Charlie track down what Phoenix thought was a serial killer.

I remembered that summer very vividly. Well, I remembered that cute little blonde who worked at the burger joint downtown vividly. They say you never forget your first lay and I could still remember the birthmark that Tina had on her hip. Or was it Lisa…maybe it was Sally? Shit, her name wasn't important.

That summer, while I was off popping my cherry, Edward had been hard at work to ensure his stayed intact for the rest of his life. He met some geeks at the local library and joined a club. A meet-in-the-parking-lot-pretend-you're-characters-from-another-world-loser club.

Edward sighed loud enough that I heard it over my fits of giggles.

"Oh my God, I can still remember your dorky cloak," I said between bursts of laughter.

"It's not funny," he whined.

I gasped for breath. "What was your name again?"

He didn't respond.

"Lord something, right? Lord Assbutt…"

"Lord Azrael," he corrected in a miffed tone.

I sat up with tears in my eyes and my sides hurting from laughing so hard. Edward was frowning down at me with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Azrael is the Archangel of Death," he pointed out as if that would suddenly make it cool.

"Well…_he_ might be, but _you_ were an irritating twelve year old with glasses."

"Whatever," he muttered, heading to the door.

I followed him downstairs, smiling to myself.

_This day might not be as shitty as I thought._

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"Do you believe that?" I complained as we walked over to a picnic table to find a place to sit. There was only one thing on the menu at the stupid festival- cornbread mixed with hotdogs. "I thought they sold turkey legs at these things." I shoved a cornbread-hotdog concoction in my mouth. It wasn't half bad. Kind of like a deconstructed corndog minus the stick.

Edward frowned down at his makeshift corndog cake. "You're thinking of Renaissance fairs," he clarified.

"The difference being?" I asked in all honesty.

I looked around. There were guys dressed like medieval knights and chicks using whatever excuse they needed to flash more cleavage than a strip club. I saw dudes in wizard cloaks and guys carrying more weapons than even I had on my person at any given time.

_And the pig masks are back again._

"Ren Fairs are more…for selling goods to regular people, putting on a show and stuff. LARP guilds…like to keep to themselves," he explained, drawing me from my people watching.

I snorted, reaching over and snagging his untouched would-be corndog.

"You mean you didn't want an audience for your little get-togethers?" I teased.

"I'm not going to try to explain it to you again, Jazz. You won't get it, you never did."

He huffed and looked away and I wondered if my little brother was really that clueless when it came to me. For someone who could practically read people's minds Edward seemed so stumped when he was dealing with his own family.

Truth was I understood him more than he would ever realize, and much more than I would ever tell him.

He had always been different. Not just with his uncanny knack of guessing what you were thinking, but the way he wanted to spend his time was just…different. When the family was fighting demons, he wanted to be at home reading a book. When I was trying to pick up girls, he was meeting up with friends in parking lots dressed like a wizard.

I gave him grief about it growing up. Mainly cause…well damn, I'm his big brother; that's just my job. But deep down I understood why he liked to escape into his world of make-believe.

I wasn't going to admit it to him any time soon but he had a point. We'd been playing pretend all of our lives. Seemed like the only time I knew the real me was when I was pretending to be someone else. People respected the guy with the fake badge. The dude nursing a beer with bloody knuckles didn't get a second glance. So, I got it. He felt like someone important in this world. It was the world itself that confused the crap out of me.

What was so attractive about pretending to be half pig?

I turned at the sound of a scuffle behind me. Two scrawny, socially awkward looking dudes were squaring off. I found myself staring at the exchange like an accident on the highway. I knew I really shouldn't rubberneck but I just couldn't help myself.

"Knave! You doth challenge me lady's virtue!" one of the guys shouted. The dude was wearing tights. I contemplated throwing salt on him later, just to be safe.

"Shut up, Kyle, you knew she was a skank when you hooked up with her. And we all warned you to not bring her to _Netherworld_," his cloak-sporting friend responded.

"You brute of word and action! En Garde!" tights boy proclaimed. He began shuffling his feet and flailing his arms about, swinging his sword in every direction but towards the cloak dude. He looked like he was having some sort of spastic episode.

"Is that guy for real?" I mumbled to myself.

"Knock it off," cloak dude complained. He folded his arms across his chest and sighed. "The role play doesn't officially begin until the Grand Master is here. I'll give you fifteen more seconds to stop or else I'm reporting you to the Grand Council and you'll have points revoked for the team. You're acting like a douche, Kyle."

I laughed out loud, much to the dismay of douchy tight boys.

"I'm not the douche, Aaron! You're the one who…_got it on_ with Lauren in the forest while I was setting up the tents!"

_Got it on? Is no hope of ever seeing a naked girl's breasts a requirement to this LARPing crap?_

I reached around and grabbed my second basket of corndog casserole and settled in for the show.

"This shit is better than General Hospital," I mumbled.

Edward laughed behind me. "So you still watch your soap operas?" he teased.

I growled.

_It's compelling drama,_ I defended in my head.

"Enjoying the show, peasants?" a voice asked from the end of our table.

"As a matter of fact," I laughed, turning toward the owner of the voice.

I was forced to do a double take when I saw him. Frodo Fucking Baggins was standing there, glaring at us. He was about five foot nothing with curly, sandy-blonde hair and wearing…well, Hobbit attire.

"Did we stumble into Narnia?" I joked.

"Are you guys here to audition?" he asked, dropping the period accent and deepening his scowl.

"Uh…no," Edward replied. "Audition for what?"

"That's not true," I announced. "I would like to audition to be the official corset checker for the festival." I held up my hands. "I've been told that, where the subject of holding up breasts is concerned, these hands are highly qualified."

"Look," Frodo explained with exasperation oozing from his body like B.O. "The reason we hold this recruitment session up here in the middle of nowhere is to keep yahoos like you from crashing the party."

"So you're holding auditions to flesh out the Guild?" Edward asked. "Looks like you have lots of members already."

"This is our national Guild. What you see here are troupes from all over the States. We meet up here once a year to train new recruits… and because it's a pretty badass locale for LARPing."

I couldn't help the snort that escaped me at the word 'badass'.

"So what's the audition process like?" Edward asked, sounding genuinely intrigued. Much to his nerdy delight, Frodo was just dying to fill us in.

"The Grand Master and the Goddess Divine set up several tasks for a three day tournament. The tournament champions gain a private audience with the Goddess. The troupe with the lowest points at the end is stripped of LARPing privileges until next season."

"Are you telling me people can only prance around in costumes with some chick's say so?" I interjected.

Frodo shot his angry eyes back at me.

"Yeah, that's what I'm telling you, Skippy."

_Skippy. Who the hell does this kid think he is?_

"So what's going on tonight? Are the Master and Goddess here yet?" Edward asked.

"Nah…they won't be here until tomorrow. They're in the woods setting up stuff for the tasks. Right now…each troupe has a booth set up to recruit the new members to join their groups."

"Booths? So…it _is_ kinda like a Renaissance Fair?" Edward guessed.

For as painful as the prospect sounded, I was intrigued by the hope of turkey legs.

"No!" Frodo shouted. He growled a bit and cleared his throat. If I didn't know better I would have thought he was counting to ten.

"Ren Fairs are for posers," the Hobbit explained.

I pretended to give a shit…just in case turkey legs were still on the menu.

"We are brothers of the Netherworld LARP Guild. We don't set up a peddler's fair and sell turkey legs once a month."

_Ah hell, I'm out._

"We live our lives by the code of destiny and great adventure in the name of Netherworld."

"You do realize that dudes in the real world consider underneath a chick's skirt to be the _netherworld_, right? That like…dudes who don't wear costumes can get laid from time to time," I pointed out.

Frodo was practically glowing red with anger.

"Look, just stay in the hotel if you're not here to take this seriously. You may think it's a joke but none of us…_costumed freaks_ think it is." With that the Hobbit stomped off to join his group of fellow schizophrenics.

"Do you get the feeling that something isn't right here," I asked as he walked away. I turned around to face Edward. "I hate to admit it, but maybe we should stick around and gawk at the geeks? What do you think?"

"You do what you want. I'm staying in the room," he announced with a stern look.

He stood up, brushing the dirt from bench off of his pants.

I wasn't exactly sure what I had said, but I could tell he was pissed. I swear living with Edward was almost like having a girlfriend. Except it was nearly impossible to estimate when his PMS was going to strike.

"Come on, I thought you liked this role playing crap," I tried to keep the mood light. I didn't need an overnight reversion back to the crazy Edward right now.

"Yeah, I do. That's why I'm not going to sit out here and make fun of it." He stalked off towards the hotel and I exhaled in frustration.

"I wasn't making fun of it, Eddie," I mumbled to myself. "Just pointing out something weird is going on."

I considered following him to the room. I hadn't left him alone since we hit the road for Alaska.

_What's the worst that can happen in the middle of nowhere? _

I scanned my eyes around the remaining crowd. I expected to see mostly pimply faced teenagers. The groups that were collecting around the tents were made up of all ages, races and genders. There were guys dressed like mythical characters. Chicks were painting fake blood on their arms.

I shook my head, still a little perplexed. Out of everything they could do with their free time…playing dress up and running around in a forest was what they considered fun?

"Well, hi there," a female voice purred.

I smiled when I caught sight of the tent full of scantily clad women all waving demurely at me. That was all the invitation I needed.

I stood, sauntering over to the tent slowly, making sure I made eye contact with each of the six girls.

"Well, hi back," I replied.

They all giggled and looked up at me seductively.

_This is so one of the top ten dreams come true moments._

"Wouldst thou care to join us?" one of them asked.

My signature sexy smirk curved my lips.

"Wouldst I ever." I looked around.

"One of you girls wouldn't happen to be named Lauren would you?"

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**(June 10, 2009)**

"_What were you two talking about?" Edward asked as I closed the bedroom door._

_I shrugged. "Same old, same old," I lied._

_I didn't see any point in dragging out the whole "the old man loves to talk in riddles" shit tonight. _

"_What did you find out about the creepy bug thingy?" I asked, pulling out the chair at the desk in the corner and sitting down. _

_Edward sat reclined back on his bed, laptop poised on his bent knees. His hair was sticking up in every direction and his Star Wars T-shirt was rumpled around the edges. _

_He laughed. "The scarab?"_

_I nodded._

_He shoved his thin-rimmed glasses back up his nose and read notes from a notebook sitting next to him. _

"_It's probably related to that exhibit at the museum. The shipping manifest listed a bunch of artifacts from Egypt. I'm willing to bet there's something cursed or haunted in the set."_

"_Great. Mummies and bugs," I grumbled. _

"_I didn't say there was a mummy," he pointed out._

"_You didn't say there wasn't one either," I added._

_We both chuckled quietly to ourselves. His features were set in contemplation for a few minutes._

"_Is something up, Jazz?" he whispered._

_I caught a glimpse of my own reflection in his glasses and had to look away. _

_My brother looked at me like I was the guy with all the answers, which was bullshit because Edward was the smartest person I had ever met. I didn't know what to tell him. As far as I knew it was business as usual. _

"_Nope." I finally decided to just toss that out there. It wasn't a lie and it wasn't a theory. _

"_You ever think about…I don't know…leaving?"_

_It wasn't the first time he'd asked me that. Ever since I was first adopted into the Cullen clan he questioned me about running away._

_I didn't blame him for thinking about it now. He was nineteen. In the eyes of the world he was an adult. Technically he should be free to head out on his own and do whatever he wanted to do._

_But that's just not how we did things in this family._

"_We're stronger together," I recited._

_He sighed. "Don't quote me his rules," he complained. "Do you ever think about leaving? Don't you ever want to do anything else with your life?"_

_What else was there for me to do? Before Carlisle adopted me I was a punk kid who had bloody knuckles every afternoon. At least here I had an outlet for my anger._

"_This is what I am, bro," I admitted in all honesty. _

_He shifted the laptop on to the bed and stood up. "I've been thinking…about…look…" He pulled a thick envelope out of his backpack and shoved it at me._

"_What's this?" I asked. "Northwestern University, out-of-state orientation packet," I read from the label on the envelope._

"_What the hell did you do?" _

_He laughed without humor. "You know, in other families they congratulate each other when they get accepted to prominent universities."_

"_We aren't other families," I stated matter-of-fact._

_He rolled his eyes. "I was accepted to a few. I decided on Northwestern because I like the medical program there. Plus Chicago seems like a great place to live."_

_I shook my head. "When did you even have time to think about doing this?" The amount of work that had to go into conning a major university was astounding. We had spent maybe three collective months of our lives in public schools. He had no transcripts. He had no address. Hell, neither of us had legitimate birth certificates handy. He must have had one of our contacts help him, or he'd been planning this for a while. _

"_Well…we've been here for a month. It was a long-term enough address to send stuff off. Northwestern responded immediately."_

"_But…Edward…he's gonna be pissed," I muttered under my breath._

_I didn't really intend to throw that out there. Not yet, at least. He really should have considered the fact that Carlisle would have a thing or two to say about him leaving us. Most of all I knew Carlisle would be pissed that he had gone behind his back and registered for college in the first place. _

_It was one thing for Dad to keep secrets from us. It was a golden rule for us to never keep anything from him._

"_He can survive without me," he snapped. He grabbed the paperwork back from me and shoved into his backpack._

_I pressed my lips together and kept my thoughts to myself. _

"_I'll probably never follow through with it anyway," he confessed. "It's not like I can leave you."_

_I smirked. "Ah…Eddie I get all tingly when you go Brokeback Mountain on me," I teased._

"_You know what I mean," he huffed._

"_Don't make me quote Leo DiCrappy-o."_

"_Are you saying I'm Kate? Because I'm not, you're totally Kate," he informed me._

"_The hell I am," I argued. "You're the redheaded woman."_

_He glared and I laughed._

"_Seriously, Jazz," he said, imploring me with his puppy dog eyes. "If I leave…"_

"_I'll be right behind you," I promised._

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**(June 11****th****, 2010)**

"Eddie," I whispered.

He grunted but didn't wake up.

"_Eddie_," I said a little louder, adding a flick to his forehead with my middle finger.

"What?" he groaned with his eyes still stapled shut.

"Get up."

"Jazz…what the hell is your…" he grumbled, sitting up and pulling his lids apart with reluctance. He blinked in shock letting his words trail off once he saw me.

"Whatdaya think?" I said spinning around, grinning.

"What the hell…"

"You're looking at the new Master of Seduction," I waggled my brows suggestively.

"You joined a troupe?" he asked in mortified confusion.

I nodded with glee. "Yep. Troupe number seven, Reno edition…or something like that. Check it out, there're six chicks and me. Together we make up the seven deadly sins."

His face stayed frozen in complete bafflement. "Which sin are you?" he asked feebly.

I laughed. "Isn't it obvious?" I waved to my costume.

Edward ran his eyes down my body and back up. His lower lip jutted out as he shook his head in confusion.

I looked down at myself. The robe-kilt was short, hanging down to just above my knees. It was lacking a top, other than the leather strap that was slung around my right shoulder and connected to the robe-kilt at my waist. I wasn't too sure about the sandals but the girls seemed to like them so I went with it.

"I'm Lust."

"_Right,_" he snorted, still stunned.

"I checked out some of the other troupes and I found you a spot too. It's a wizard one." I tossed the blue sparkly robe at him and sauntered over to the mirror to check out my new look.

"Are you shitting me?" His response was delayed.

I smirked at my reflection in the mirror. "No. I made some friends last night. This seemed like a fun way to pass the time while we wait for Emmett to get here."

For a minute I was the one with the ability to read minds and I knew exactly what Edward was thinking. He was looking at me the way I look at possession victims. He was trying to decide if he needed to knock me out before he started reciting the exorcism.

"I had a change of heart," I defended. "Is that so hard to believe?"

That only increased his suspicious scowl.

"Here, you forgot to put these away," I said, tossing him the orange pill bottle that was sitting next to the mirror. "Again," I mumbled to myself.

He looked down at the bottle in disgust. "Thanks."

I ran my fingers through my hair to rough up the ends. _Bedhead is a must for lust._

"Oh," I added, deciding to put him out of his miserable suspense. "And there's a totally a case."

"What?"

I turned, finding him still sitting in the same position, his face still scrunched in uncertainty. It was fucking funny to see him so caught off guard by this. He just kept staring at me like I was wearing a tutu or something.

"Yep. Come on. Suit up. I'll show you."

He climbed out of bed with that damn skeptic glare and carried his costume to the bathroom. I paced the room while he changed. I was nearly ninety percent sure I knew what was going on around here. I wanted to see if Edward came to the same conclusion as I did, though.

"So what's the case?" he asked as he followed me downstairs a few minutes later.

"You'll see," I assured him.

The tournament was about to begin. All of the troupes were gathered around the Grand Master's stage.

I pointed toward the wizarding troupe. "That's your gang," I informed him.

"Dude…is everyone in my group fifteen?" he whined.

I smacked his shoulder and pointed toward my girls. "And there's my group."

All six sins were standing there wearing hardly anything but coy smiles and waving at me.

"They called me their Satyr," I said, as I remembered all the fun things we did last night. Some of the girls were very flexible.

"Why am I not surprised that you're in the girl tent and I'm with the dweebs?"

"Hey, they aren't dweebs…they're your peeps," I corrected with a twist of my lips.

Edward rolled his eyes.

"Will you tell me what the freaking case is already?"

"Just wait," I offered, nodding toward the Grand Master's stage.

Trumpets started playing from the large speakers on the sides of the stage. That kid from last night, Frodo, walked to the microphone at the center of the stage.

"Welcome everyone," he announced. "I just wanted to thank all of you for joining us at the second annual Netherworld Fest… without any further ado…here they are…the people who make Netherworld a reality…"

The crowd cheered louder and a drum roll started playing through the speakers.

"The Grand Master and the Goddess Divine!" Frodo shouted. The entire campground exploded with cheers.

"Holy shit!" Edward exclaimed, flinching from the sonic boom of noise.

"Yeah," I agreed.

"I still don't see the case," he grumbled.

"Keep watching."

He turned to look at me for a second then went back to watching the stage.

A guy walked up to the microphone. He was wearing chain mail, a crown, and a long gold tunic with a white stallion imprinted on it.

He held his hand up to silence the crowd.

"My friends, it is an honor as ever to meet with you on this most wondrous occasion. You humble us with your numbers and enthusiasm. I wish you all the best of luck in the tasks ahead of you."

Everyone started clapping.

"And now, for the person we've all been waiting for…The Goddess Divine."

Unlike when Frodo announced the arrival of the duo, this introduction was followed with hushed awe.

The crowd was silent as they awaited the entrance of the Goddess.

"Excuse me," a voice asked quietly behind us.

Edward and I turned to find one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen standing behind us. She was nearly as tall as me with a slender build, but curves in all the right places. She wore a green, velvet dress with gold embroidery and a matching white stallion stitched across the chest. She had long, straight black hair and ivory skin. Her eyes were an incredibly vibrant shade of lavender.

The color confirmed what I was suspecting already.

She cast those soft purple eyes from Edward's face to mine and smiled sweetly. She pressed her way between us and the crowd parted for her passage to the stage. Everyone else immediately knelt as she took her place in front of the microphone. Edward and I just followed the crowd and knelt quickly.

"Greetings, my worthy followers," the Goddess announced.

We watched as the crowd practically salivated for her approval and love.

_Creepy._

"Today we begin the tournament of the tasks of virtue. I know that you will not disappoint me, my children. I call all male warriors of each of the twenty troupes into combat. The first warriors to reach the edge of the forest by nightfall shall be given immunity for tomorrow's task. Now stand, my male warriors," she commanded.

We stood with every other male in the camp.

"A horde of worshipping followers?" Edward whispered.

I nodded. "Yeah, and purple eyes." We both had plenty of memories of Dad warning us about the purple-eyed temptress. "I found this is the tent last night. I'm willing to bet each troupe has one." 

I discreetly handed him the black pouch that I had tucked inside my robe last night. He didn't even have to open it to know what it was.

"A hex bag?" he mouthed and I nodded.

We both turned back to the stage. The Goddess held her hands up and the entire camp cheered.

"A witch," we both said flatly.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"Where are you two posers heading?" Frodo asked at the starting line for the task.

Edward and I looked at each other and then back at the Hobbit. "We're official troupe members, Frodo," I pointed out.

Short dude apparently didn't like being called Frodo.

"My name is Elrond the Great!" he snarled.

_Anger management classes waiting to happen, dude._

"So…you're an elf?" Edward inquired as if it seemed logical that one would draw that assumption from his name.

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"Elrond…he was the king of the elves."

"You do realize elves don't actually exist right?" I questioned his sanity unabashedly.

"Um…well, technically there are many legends in Norse mythology…later adapted into Celtic folklore that would argue against that view point," Edward spouted.

"You just don't know how to turn it off, do you?" I mocked him in slight pity.

He did that wounded puppy dog pout thing of his and turned back to the elf king.

"We joined up last night, _Elrond_," I informed him.

"You two have no idea what you've gotten yourselves into." He gave us a look that bordered on threatening.

_You've got to be kidding me._

"You can't begin to understand how unbothered I am by that warning, Shrimpy," I shot back with a laugh.

"What do you mean?" Edward asked.

Shorty just shrugged. "You'll see. You're bound to the task now. If you survive we'll talk about it tonight over a pint."

With that he headed off into the forest.

I didn't like the sound of that threat. There was no way of telling what the witch had planned. And no way to identify any partners that she might have hidden in the crowd, either.

"He means a pint of beer and not _Häagen_-_Dazs_, right?" I joked once we were alone again. I was trying to lighten the mood by I had to admit short dude was damaging my calm.

Edward shrugged. "I hope so."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"Did you know there's a rule book?" Edward asked as we wandered through the forest.

I shook my head. "Do I look like I'm reading one?"

"It says here that for each task a deadly force will be sent to attack the champions and threaten the good of Netherworld."

"Where did you find the rule book?"

"There was a pile of them in the lobby of the hotel last night"

I gave him a look. It seemed redundant to keep calling him a nerd, but who the hell else would pick up a book to read just because.

"Eddie, you're ruining the _fun _of it all. You don't need to read the instructions."

"What's rule number fifteen?"

I glanced up at the blue-clear sky, drawing the dagger that Wrath had given me this morning from my belt.

"Rules are made for a reason," I quoted.

"It's actually fascinating. There's a whole world created within the world of Netherworld. It's the basic concept of all LARPing guilds but…I don't know. This one seems different."

"Of course it's different," I interjected with an ironic laugh. "This one is run by a real witch."

He nodded absently and flipped through the rule book again. "What do you suppose the hex bags are for? You said it was planted in the tent?" 

"Yep, actually it was in a gift basket that was delivered by the Grand Master. I saw the way the girls all acted when he entered the tent. Very _Mansony_."

"But that's part of the game," Edward said, stopping.

I frowned back at him. "Come again?"

"The point of role playing is that you become the character that you are portraying. And so does everyone you're playing with. If this Grand Master is meant to be…I don't know…like the God of this world then we are supposed to treat him as such. See, these are the character profiles." He flipped to the back of the book and pointed at a page for me to read.

I noticed pictures and descriptions of several characters that I had seen wandering around the campground last night.

"So…these people don't know the difference between real and made for TV?" I asked, confused by the sincerity in Edward's eyes.

"Sort of," he sighed. "It's an escape. You know…like all kinds of role playing are…"

"This isn't like what that chick in South Dakota liked to do," I pointed out.

"Didn't she chain you to the bed?"

_Such fond memories. _"Yep."

"It's exactly like that, Jazz. The purpose is to lose yourself in the moment. Become someone other than you. This isn't necessarily for sexual pleasure, like that was," he added with a quirk of his eyebrow. I smirked. "But…you can't half-ass it. You have to own it…believe it. Or else…yeah, it's just playing pretend."

"Okay…" I tried to riddle out the purpose of the hex bag. "So…what? Where does the witch factor in?"

"I think," Edward said, returning his nose to the center of the rule book. "That she's making it…real. We'll have to get further into the task but if what I'm thinking…lets just say we may not have wanted to join up just yet."

"What do you mean?" I stopped and he kept heading further into the forest. "Eddie?"

"Come on, Jazz, the map shows a sparring field up ahead."

"Eddie, what are you talking about?" I demanded, running to catch up with him.

There was a small clearing between the trees like he said there would be. Groups were sectioned off, yelling incantations and throwing props at each other.

"What are they doing?"

"The book has a points guide in it too. You spar with rival troupes to earn points. The winning troupe earns a private audience with the Goddess Divine."

"Do we have to do that?" I asked, cringing at the thought of sounding like the douche-twins last night.

"Only if we want to make sure we're face to face with the witch by the end of this thing," he offered.

I glared at the morons spouting gibberish like they knew a thing or two about real magic. I knew what curses sounded like…I knew what it felt like to be hexed. The real shit wasn't child's play. It wasn't fun. These douches were prancing around as if it would be a walk in the park to be jinxed.

"Ass-clowns," I mumbled.

"By the power of the fifth, I compel you to return to camp and start the game anew!" a nasally voice shouted behind us. I felt something lightly tap my back and scowled at the plastic prop when it bounced against my sandal.

"What the hell?"

Edward huffed in frustration. "Really wish you'd read the damn book…" he grumbled. "It's his power," he explained.

I looked back over my shoulder at the short dweeb wearing a matching sparkling cloak to the one my brother was sporting.

"His what now?"

Edward reached into the pocket of his cloak and produced a matching plastic toy. It looked like a thunderbolt.

"It's his magic…he just cast a spell on you."

I didn't know if I should fall to the ground in giggles or make an appointment for Edward to get his head examined.

"You know…"

"Jazz!" Edward shouted, interrupting me. "Just go with it. Okay…you signed us up for this shit. Go with it. I know it's not real. You know it's not real. It's plastic and we all need our heads examined. But just…for fuck's sake, go with it."

We glared at each for a few more seconds and then I turned to stomp my way back to the starting line.

"Demented five year olds and their warped game of Simon Says…" I mumbled to myself.

Naturally I was all alone only a few steps into the woods.

"Screw this," I said, turning on my heel. No one was around to tell whether I had gone all the way back to camp.

_And who the hell really cares? Is some vortex going to open up and swallow me down to hell for not walking an extra fifty steps back to camp?_

Something shuffled through the trees to my right.

I froze. Instantly I regretted not bringing more weapons with me into the forest.

_Why didn't I bring any weapons? _I thought. It was so unlike me not to carry at least a box cutter or a switchblade. _Goddamn shitty weeks throwing me off my game._

The trees around me started to sway. Whatever was coming wasn't bothering to aim for stealth.

"Hello?" I called.

I could feel the earth moving under me, like a pack of elephants was charging toward me.

I clung to the tiny dagger in my hand, poised for combat.

The pig squeal that sounded like a battle cry confused me a bit—until the band of pig-faced warriors tore through the line of trees beside me.

"Demon pigs!" I screamed, taking off in a dead sprint toward the field.

I tore on to the field, looking for Edward. I hoped everyone else noticed the small army of upright walking Wilburs charging up behind me.

"Whoa, run! Deadly bacon heading our way!" I shouted, waving my arms and running between the sparring matches.

Their complaints died as soon as the snorting masses reached the clearing.

"Main course!" Elrond yelled and that apparently was a code word that warned everyone except Edward and me to run away.

Edward was lying on the ground with arms raised in the air, frozen in place.

"Eddie!" I yelled, running to help him. "What happened?"

He didn't respond.

The squealing grew louder which warned me that the pigs were getting closer. I stared back at the one leading the pack. He had the body of a man. He wore a simple medieval knight costume, complete with leather boots. He looked just like any other guy. Just…he had the head of pig. Not a mask…an actual pig head in place of a human one.

"Come on, Eddie! We gotta get running, man," I urged him to get to his feet ASAP.

I slapped him across the cheek to wake him up.

"Ow! That was completely unnecessary," he complained.

"What happened to you?"

"That warlock hit me with a stun-jinx," he explained calmly.

"You mean…you were _pretending_ to be frozen?" I barked. "Are you a fucking moron?"

He sighed, clearly still unaware of what was charging down on us. "Jazz…I told you…that's the whole…"

I stopped his nerdy rant by waving my hands in front of him. "Yeah, I got it, but what about those?" I asked pointing to the pig horde.

He shot to his feet in a split second after seeing the demon pigs. "Those I'm not sure about. Run!"

That was all the encouragement I needed. We took off in the direction that everyone else had.

Something grabbed my ankle and launched me into the air at the edge of the forest. I landed hard against a tree. The sound of Edward screaming my name mixed with fresh squeals.

I opened my eyes to find myself face-to-face with one of the pig-men.

"Fuck," I breathed. My dagger had been launched along with my body and I had no clue where it was.

"Dude," I said, staring down the snout of grotesque face. "You're fugly."

The pig squealed, raising its hand to hit me. Edward's Converse collided with the side of the pig's head. It went sailing toward the nearest red branch.

"Come on," Edward said, reaching out to help me up.

We hit the end of the course without any more run-ins with the pig dudes.

We both stood there, gasping for breath from running.

"Well," I said between pants. "That settles that debate."

Edward nodded for an explanation.

I smirked. "Bacon really is bad for you."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"Well, all in all I think that was a successful first task," I decided as we worked our way back to camp through the forest. Everyone had been released from the task a few minutes before and all of the wizards had to retrieve their "magic" from the clearing.

"We didn't come out with the most points," Edward noted, searching the field for his plastic thunderbolts.

"But we didn't lose, right?"

He shrugged. "I don't know much more than you do, Jazz."

"What the hell were those pig things?" I asked almost terrified to know the truth. The outfits were pretty familiar. And the pig heads…I'd seen those before too.

Edward knelt down to pick up the last of the props.

"What I thought was happening is actually happening," he offered cryptically. "The hex bags serve a purpose, as do those." He pointed to the trees at the field entrance. Two elaborate symbols were carved into the trunks.

"Crap." I closed my eyes, wishing I had never had the brilliant idea to drive north in the first place. "Sigils?" I asked, opening my eyes and reaching out to finger one of the symbols.

"I noticed them during the sparring match. I've been trying to identify them but I can't remember ever seeing them before. I'm going to have to do some research on the laptop…well, assuming I can get an internet connection out in the middle of nowhere, I guess."

I stared at the symbols, trying to place them myself. Sigils were like calling cards to mystical forces. They were the actual symbols drawn for rituals. Like drawing a pentagram for a magical ceremony, or a devil's trap to ensnare a demon, sigils could be protections or prisons. They could dispel or invoke. These symbols were older than anything I had studied.

"It's more than just some black magic hex working here," Edward continued to theorize. "I think we might be…dealing with something a lot older. Something more than a witch. Those pig-people were the guys in the Sloth troupe. Those very real pig faces were identical to the plastic masks they were wearing last night."

He confirmed my worst fear.

"Shit." I felt lunch coming back up as reality sunk in. "So much for playing pretend, huh?"

"Yeah," he agreed absently as he started looking at the other trees, pulling his cell out to take pictures of the symbols.

"How is she doing it? Hex bags don't have this kind of energized mojo. And sigils just consecrate the area. How is she turning people into monsters? That requires blood rites and incantations and shit, right?"

"She's not actually turning them into monsters, as far as I can tell. She's… or whatever we're dealing with…is invoking very old magic, creating an illusion."

"How can you tell?"

Edward sighed, folding his arms across his chest. "The sigils look Celtic…and ancient. I'd say these relate back to Stonehenge or maybe even older. Not exactly sure what they're for, but this one," he said pointing to a smaller mark on a neighboring tree. "That's a ritual mark of Dionysus, which sheds a little light on the subject."

"Why does that make sense?" My head was starting to hurt at the implications of what these marks meant.

"There's lore wrapped around the history of role playing. Dates all the way back to Ancient Greece. There were festivals held every year to celebrate a good harvest from the god Dionysus - God of ritual madness and ecstasy. This festival was the birth of Greek theater. Particularly Greek tragedies. On very rare…and almost fabled occasions there were accounts of some of the participants actually _becoming _the characters they portrayed in the festival theatrical productions."

"Is that where they get the term method acting?" I joked.

He shrugged, taking my words seriously. "Possibly."

I rolled my eyes and let him continue.

"It was a common belief that such instances were brought on by either the work of a god or induced by some ritualistic drug use. Throughout the centuries it's been a regular practice to mix such beliefs with dark magic rituals as well."

"So this bitch is…a god?" If there ever was a time to feeling like we were in over our heads…

"I don't know…maybe? It all depends on what these are meant to invoke. I'd say it's some kind of trickster god, demigod…could even be a witch who serves the will of this god…"

I stared at my brother for a minute. "Seriously, Edward…how do you know all of this shit?"

He shrugged. "I read a lot."

My smartass remark was filed away in my mind for a later, less stressful time. "I still don't get it…What's in it for her to make these dweebs become the Brandos of World of Warcraft?"

"Um…my guess is it's just the nature of the god…I would suppose illusion and chaos is…fun for them."

"Fun?" The word twisted on my tongue as it fell from my mouth. "What kind of warped psycho finds this shit fun?"

"Gods get bored. They like to play around with humans. It's exactly what you would do if you were a god. You'd poke fun at the costumed freaks too, wouldn't you?" he accused. I could hear the sarcastic, teasing tone in his voice but I knew that this was his way at taking a jab at my _Xena-ophobia_.

"And none of them catch on, do they? They all just what…think they're tripping balls?"

He nodded. "Most of the population is probably convinced that someone spikes the guacamole, yeah."

"Dude had a pig head…A head like Zuckerman's spider-befriending walking bacon…that goes way beyond peyote. People are so fucking crazy. It's not that hard to realize something is wrong here."

"True, but we have a background in these sorts of things. These guys…they don't have a clue about what's lurking in the shadows. Magic is make believe even for the most method of role players, there's still boundaries of reality that you have to accept and operate under. Their most amazing magical moments are probably thinking their grandma talked to them through their Ouija board or thinking they felt their friend raise an inch off the ground with light as a feather, stiff as a board."

"Well, thank fuck for Dad. I'd rather be in on the joke than be some…piece on a chessboard for these demons."

Edward didn't say anything in response to my rant.

He didn't agree with me. That much was evident in the frown that drew his whole face down. The puppy dog pout told me that the whole weight of the world crap was on his mind again. It would only be a matter of time before we were fighting about Dad. Then he'd be back to whining about Tanya.

_And we were doing so __well._

We picked up the pace to get back to camp. I could already see the tents through the trees. It smelled like corndog casserole was on the menu once more.

"So what's the game plan? Do we just gank the bitch in her sleep tonight, or what?" I was so ready to be done with playing dress-up before I was chased down by a unicorn or who knew what else.

Edward shook his head quickly. "No. Everyone here is a loyal follower of hers. If we even give off the slightest hint of a threat…I don't think any of them would hesitate to kill us. They might even consider it part of the game."

"Crafty bitch," I murmured, glaring at the big red tent that she was hiding in. I hadn't noticed it before but the elaborate designs imprinted on the sides of the tent resembled the sigils in the forest.

"Well, I see you two actually survived," Elrond said, joining us as we made it back to base camp.

"Barely," I confirmed. "All thanks to my brother here. He totally saved my bacon."

Edward huffed, shaking his head at my horrible pun but he couldn't help but laugh at the same time.

"So how bout that beer?"

Elrond nodded, looking between the two of us with a newfound respect. "Sure."

He waved for the rest of his troupe to follow us.

The Sins ran up to greet me and praise my return. "Ladies, ladies," I said, being attacked from every angle by lips and fingers. "There's plenty of me to go around."

I threw my arms over Pride and Envy's shoulders and led them in the direction that Elrond was heading in.

Edward followed along behind us with a pout.

"Where's your group?" I asked when we walked through the backdoor of the hotel and entered a tiny pub.

He shrugged. "Dunno. I think I'm going to head up to the room, anyway. I might have a file saved on my laptop about…ya know…" He nervously eyed the scene in the dark bar.

"Right…" I noted his discomfort at being inside the pub. "You don't have to drink to hang out, you know," I promised him. I felt like an after school special as I said it but I didn't want him to feel left out.

He gave me a look that confirmed that I sounded ridiculous. "I want to get cracking on research. We don't know what we're heading into tomorrow."

"Yeah," I agreed. I caught sight of Elrond and his brethren sitting at the bar. "I'll do my own version of research and we can compare notes or something."

He nodded, running his eyes anxiously over the crowd once more. For the first time today I noticed that he seemed jittery. He kept his hands in his pockets and jerked his head to the side subtly.

Almost like a junkie craving a hit or something.

It was a stupid thought. I shook it off as soon as he left the pub. I was on edge from the showdown with the wild boars. That's all. Edward was a good kid. Hell, he wasn't even comfortable being around liquor let alone getting drunk.

_Why on earth would he be using drugs? _I laughed at the thought.

I would be so happy to finally get out of this place. Everything was putting me on edge, making me think things that were as insane as the Looney Tunes in this tournament.

"My lord?" Greed prompted me to take a seat and smiled at me invitingly. I smiled back.

"First round's on me," I offered. "And ladies, feel free to take that meaning literally."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"I should probably go find my brother," I announced a few too many drinks later.

I was feeling no pain as I said my goodbyes to the boys, enjoying the buzz all the way back to the hotel room.

I sobered a little when I realized Edward wasn't there.

I stumbled back down the stairs, cursing under my breath.

I pulled out my cell phone, still no service. "Great." I had no way of tracking the idiot down.

I walked through the front entrance of the hotel, frowning when I caught sight of the road. The past day's events had been so hectic that I hadn't even thought about the Impala. I hoped Em's friend had found her and was keeping her safe.

I couldn't explain it to anyone except maybe Edward, or Carlisle, but that car wasn't just a hunk of metal and gasoline to me. It was freedom. And it was home—the one constant roof over my head in my whole life. I didn't know what I would do if I were to lose it now.

It would be like losing a member of my family.

I guessed that was the other reason I held so tightly to her now too. She was my last connection to Carlisle. I could still remember the day he drove up to the orphanage in that car.

I had relaxed for the first time in a long time tonight, let my guard down perhaps a little too much. Staring at that road brought the anxiety back with a vengeance.

We were wasting time not looking for Eleazar.

Edward was doing better, though… or at least I hoped he was.

"Tanya!"

The second I registered the sound of that voice my heart sunk to my toes.

_So much for staying on the wagon,_ I mentally grumbled.

"Eddie?" I called, walking toward the sound of his voice.

"Come back," he whimpered over and over again.

I found him sitting in the forest not too far from the hotel. It wasn't dark even though it was probably nine o'clock at night, but it felt more like nighttime with the trees blocking out the sun.

"Eddie? You okay?"

"She's gone," he croaked.

He looked so damn pathetic that I almost felt sorry for him. He had his arms resting on his bent knees and he stared off into space like he was watching someone he loved die over and over again.

I would have felt sorry for him if I hadn't noticed the bottle of whiskey clutched in his right hand.

"That's mine!" I accused in shock. Not only had he decided to get drunk after all but he did it on my secret stash.

He lifted the bottle and frowned at it.

"S'it's almost gone," he slurred.

I groaned. "Carlisle gave me that for my twenty first birthday. And you go and drink all of it in one night. I hope you vomit your intestines up tomorrow morning."

He made a face. "Here…big baby," he retorted, throwing the bottle in my direction. It landed hard on a rock, splitting the glass.

I watched in quiet rage as the last of the liquid seeped out on to the forest floor. "I didn't even get to taste it."

"S'not the best," he assured me. He tried to stand. I didn't make a move to help him to his feet.

I decided, watching him continue to look like a baby deer trying to stand for the first time, that I preferred Edward sober.

"Here," I finally offered, reaching out my hand to help steady him.

He grabbed at my hand and nearly yanked me down as he lifted himself up.

_Damn, he's strong._

"S'anks."

"Why are you out here drunker than a skunk, Eddie?"

He shrugged, burping in my face before staggering a few steps away from me.

"Figured she'd show up…but no…it's been three days… I miss her," he rambled in thought and movement.

I tried to make sense of his words. "Who did you think would show up?" I probed.

"You don't wanna know…you never wanna know… you wanna soldier," he drunkenly saluted me and then flipped me off. Found himself funny as he did it too.

I rolled my eyes. "You're a dick when you're drunk," I observed.

"Psh." He stumbled next to me, spraying me slightly with spit as he spoke. "You're short."

Even though he was slightly hunched over for balance I noticed that he was standing taller than he usually did. Edward was the kind of tall that was almost unnatural. And he was lean enough that he looked even taller when he stood up straight.

"I preferred you slouching and sober," I muttered.

"I preferred you gone," he spat.

I tried to not react to his words. He threw them out flippantly, like they weren't meant to cut my legs out from under me with their sharpness. It hurt to hear him say that. I knew he'd regret it in the morning. Edward was good at saying shit that he regretted. But I also knew that deep down he meant it.

"Eddie," I said, getting his attention. "You'll thank me for this one day."

He frowned and I snapped my fist back before he could question what I meant. He hit the ground hard from the punch. He moaned a little and then was out like a light.

"Wonder if those pig dudes can help me carry you to the room?"

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"Wakey, wakey Sunshine," I announced, whistling as loud as possible into Edward's ear.

He groaned and threw his sneaker at me.

I dodged the hit and laughed. "You know you wouldn't be such a light weight if you drank more."

"Only you would consider alcoholism the cure to hangovers," he rasped quietly.

I shrugged. "Cure or vice…the point is, I'm not seeing three of you at the moment," I informed him.

He crawled out of bed and worked his way to the bathroom like a worm.

"Please be sure to barf into the toilet," I half teased.

His agonized groans were my cue to leave.

I headed down to the campsite, saying good morning to each of the Sins and grabbing some breakfast.

To my surprise Edward was sitting at one of the picnic benches, staring off in front of him like he wished his head would just explode already.

"Well, look at you, precious," I teased. "Didn't think I'd see you up and about."

He cringed at the volume of my voice. "The herald banged on the door and said all players were required to be in camp this morning. It didn't sound like a request." His voice was hoarse, his eyes bloodshot. Even his usually wild hair was drooped over in exhaustion.

I didn't think it was possible for him to look more pathetic than he had last night.

"You wanna explain to me what happened last night?"

He shook his head minutely, groaning and clenching his jaw at the movement.

"You know…they're serving greasy eggs and bacon in ashtrays over there if you want me to get you some." I couldn't help but poke fun. Edward had bypassed the whole rebellious teen thing. Sure he rebelled, he refused to recite incantations and then there was the whole walking out the door and never coming back shit. But he didn't do any of the fun stuff. Getting drunk. Sneaking out to meet up with girls. I had to cash in the entertainment when I could.

"I hate you," he moaned as he fought back the bile I could all but see rising in his throat.

"Ah dude, I can smell your breath," I said, cringing and pushing my food aside. "And now my appetite is gone."

"Good morning, fellow champions!" Elrond announced on the PA system.

Edward groaned, flopping his head down against the table.

"Make it stop," he whimpered quietly.

I chuckled.

"The Goddess Divine has requested that I announce today's task, as she is feeling…unwell."

The entire camp 'awed' in unison. I narrowed my eyes on the red tent.

_Wonder what has her feeling sick? _

"Hey, Eddie?" He groaned in response. "You think she's on to us?"

"I don't know. She probably needs to focus during the tasks. There has to be some sort of ritual involved."

I noticed several members of the audience burst out in tears at the mention of the witch feeling ill.

_This bitch is going to be impossible to gank._

"Today we are charged with the task of exploration. The Elven troupe prime has won immunity for today's task but we waive this right and will join in with the festivities. Please report to your camps and prepare for the journey through the woods of Netherworld."

Everyone cheered as he exited the stage.

"What in the holy hell is he talking about?" I asked.

Edward moaned, replying with a voice muffled by the picnic table. "The exploration involves all the troupes heading into the forest and interacting with each other."

"How is that a task?"

He sighed, peeking one eye up at me. "The manner in which we interact with each other will reflect in how our teams earn points. Which, by the way, you lost points for your team by not playing properly yesterday."

I scowled. "What do you mean? I was being chased by pig-people."

"No," I said, raising his head slowly. "You didn't return to camp before you turned around. You lost your group three points for that."

"Seriously?"

He nodded. "Seriously."

I shot my eyes to the left and then the right. "How do you know that?"

He smirked. "It's posted on the points charter next to the stage. Don't ask how they know. I don't think I want to think about that…even after this headache from hell is gone."

"So…we just head off into the forest?"

He nodded. "Yep."

"And…will the pigs be back?" I whispered. I shot my eyes in the direction of their tent. It was empty. That put me on edge.

His bottom lip pouted out and I swear his eyes damn neared crossed as I he thought about it.

"Um…yeah…I think what Elrond was getting at with saying that they waive their immunity is that everyone will be…changed."

"What do you mean?" I was pretty sure I knew what he meant, I just couldn't believe it.

"I mean you can call me Harry Freaking Potter," he grumbled, flopping his head back down against the table.

"How do we end this task?"

His shoulders shrugged. "No idea."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

I should have known that that shitty day streak was still in full effect.

Edward and I got a late start getting to the forest and our groups ditched us to fend for ourselves.

As we walked along I felt like my head was on a swivel. I was expecting to see tons of people looking as warped as the pig guys had yesterday. Instead, everyone we passed looked like the same old boring people.

Even Edward didn't look any different. He was wearing his sparkly cloak but he didn't look like any wizards I remembered from movies.

And I didn't feel any different at all.

"What gives?" I grumbled as we passed another couple in the woods.

Edward shoved his hands in his pockets. He looked like he was restraining himself for some reason.

"What?"

He shook his head, looking anywhere but at me.

"Nothing…just…" He cleared his throat.

I shook off his moodiness.

"We really should interact with the couples that we meet," he suggested. "We're sort of at the bottom as far as points go."

"Stupid games…"

"Good morrow, friends!" a female voice called as we stopped along the path.

"Hey," I said, waving slightly

Edward was silent as a rock…stiff as one too.

"Dude?" I said, slapping his arm when he didn't even say hello.

He nodded to the woman and I wondered if wizards were supposed to be bitchy to common wenches.

_Ah crap, he's got me thinking like a LARPer now._

"Oh my," the woman purred, ignoring personal space parameters and latching herself on to my side.

"Well…hiya," I mumbled uncomfortably.

"Aren't you a yummy one?" a completely different voice crooned.

Before I knew what was happening a swarm of people, men and women alike, were smothering me. I was rubbed, cupped, pinched and fondled more than bunch of grapes at a farmer's market.

"Eddie!" I shouted. Albeit it wasn't the worst attack that I'd been caught in the middle of but it was the weirdest.

I felt a strong hand grab my shoulder and yank me from the crowd. Edward shielded me behind him and reached into his pocket.

I stumbled back from the onslaught of suitors chasing me down.

"Lightning bolt!" he shouted.

Unlike yesterday during the sparring matches there wasn't any plastic red and yellow thunder bolts flying through the air. Instead electricity snapped in a bolt of light from my brother's fingers.

"Holy shit!" I yelled. "What the hell?"

Edward didn't seem surprised by the fact that he just turned into an X-man.

"Come on," he yelled, shoving me along the path.

"What the hell was that?" I asked. I kept my head down dodging behind trees when I could see people coming up the path.

"We need to just get to the end of the forest, fast," Edward replied in a clipped tone.

I picked up the pace.

"What?" I snapped as we marched our way through the woods.

He kept glancing over at me. It was starting to border on obsessive.

"I…uh…nothing," he replied, clearing his throat. "We just need to reach the end of this task ASAP."

I sighed. "Why? You tired of being the boy wizard?" I teased.

"Um…no…Jazz, do you realize what _you've_ turned into?"

I looked down at myself again. No change as far as I could see.

"Nothing?"

He shook his head, rolling his eyes. "Dude…you're _Lust,_" he waved his hands in my direction like I was some brand new car or something.

"So…"

"So? So…I'm picturing attacking you and doing…very non-brotherly things to you…" he explained, the tips of his ears turned pink as he spoke.

"Seriously?" I asked in mortification.

He shrugged. "Dude, I'm human. You're giving off the most powerful concentration of pheromones known to mankind. It's…technically a natural response," he explained it like it was okay for my kid brother to suddenly be attracted to me.

I growled at the stupidity of our situation.

"I don't believe this," I grumbled.

"Look, it's no picnic for me to fight the urge to do…I really need us to reach the end of this task, Jazz. Like now." He sped up and was practically running ahead of me.

I let him jog in the lead, not interested in getting too close and tempting him to follow through with those lusty thoughts I was creating in him.

I kept my head down, jogging along behind the boy wizard. I ran into something hard, losing my momentum. I looked up to realize I had slammed into Edward's back.

"What gives?" I griped. I leaned around to confront him and noticed that all the color had drained from his face.

"Eddie?"

He nodded forward slightly, his eyes fixed on something terrifying I guessed.

I turned slowly to find a teenage girl with her teeth inches deep into some unsuspecting dead dude's throat.

"Fuck," I spat.

Apparently 'fuck' is succubus-speak for "look over here". I jumped when she snapped her head up with unnatural speed. Fresh blood oozed from her lips as her cold, dead eyes narrowed on us.

"Succubus?" I whispered.

"Yeah," Edward whispered back.

"Ideas?"

"Run."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

She didn't follow us, luckily. There were plenty of screams that did follow us though.

"This shit is too insane for words. This isn't just a bunch of geeks getting boners fake sword fights. This is real life demons, killing people."

"I don't remember seeing a succubus from hell in the rule book," Edward offered bleakly.

_How's it happening? _I thought. I reviewed all the changes we encountered on our trip this morning. Edward's electric hands sprang to mind.

"Okay… so let's say super witch turns everything on its ass. Up is down and all that shit," I hypothesized. "And so suddenly some chucklehead has the ability to say…oh I don't know…raise a freaking succubus from hell."

Edward nodded. "It's possible. Though, technically she could've already been role playing as a demon. It's a fairly common female role in almost every mystical world. She might not be an actual demon. She might just be like we were on the field today- an innocent person trapped in a very real costume."

"So…how do we figure out which she is?" I threw the question out there like I hoped there was an answer. Truth was it didn't matter one way or the other. If she was a real demon or not we were up shit creek without a paddle.

"We have to undo the spell," Edward offered.

"Well…that won't be happening easily." I scanned my eyes over the horde of worshipers hanging around the Goddess' tent.

"It's fool proof, really," Edward observed with a hollow laugh. "They are lambs to the slaughter, practically begging for her to do what she's doing."

"Yeah and they just keep coming back each year," I added bleakly. "People are so fucking crazy."

"That's it," Edward whispered.

"Stupid people?" I asked sarcastically.

"No…" He shook his head, searching through the crowd. "Where's Elrond?"

"Dunno. Last time I saw him we were all stumbling out of the pub."

Edward took off running toward the hotel back entrance. I trailed behind, trying to riddle out where his mind was heading.

"Eddie?" I hollered. "What's crawled up your butt?"

"He said this was the second annual tournament, right?"

"Yeah?"

"So…I'm assuming they broke the spell somehow last year."

"Where does that follow?"

"He's alive…"

Now it was my brain's turn to do summersaults. "So? Maybe he's working with her…" that thought led to a far more disturbing one. "Shit, this whole recruitment angle is probably just a fancy name for bringing in fresh meat," I rattled off as the evidence started fitting together in my head.

"You don't suppose this place is…what? Some kind of mystery spot… alternate universe… time warp thing do you?"

"It could be. We're out in the middle of nowhere. We have no clue what the hell is going on. We didn't see any of these people before we got here…Shit, Edward! We broke rule number twelve without even trying."

_Rule number twelve: Never trust your eyes._

"Fuck," he cursed under his breath.

All the little details of the past three days were starting to add up in my mind. The car breaking down. This hotel and camp just happening to be here. The tasks. The magic. This hail holy bitch of a sorceress who fancied herself a soul eater.

"Shit. Shit. Shit."

We were really a couple of fucking morons.

"There wasn't anything on the map," Edward murmured, his face as pale as a ghost.

"Stupid…stupid…stupid. If Dad were here he'd slap both of us upside the head. Then he'd kick our asses. Then he'd tear us new ones."

We exchanged knowing glances.

"Okay…so now that we know what _might _be going on…how do we figure this out?"

"Well now it's time for plan B," a female voice informed us.

I felt a sharp pain at the base of my skull seconds before everything went black.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

I jolted awake at the sound of screams in the distance.

"Eddie," I moaned. My head felt fuzzy. My responses were delayed.

_Concussion_, I figured.

Dad would point out that only my hard head could sustain so many blows without cracking in two.

"Well, well, well…if it isn't yet another Cullen," a female voice crooned from somewhere to my left.

I recognized the voice. It belonged to the chick who clunked me on the head…the grand witch bitch herself.

I tried to turn my head but a blinding pain shot through my skull when I did.

I grunted with the effort to focus.

"Never thought your daddy would be stupid enough to point you boys my way. Hmm…"

"Where's my brother?"

She pulled up a chair to sit in front of me. My vision was distorted by a mixture of sweat and blood that pooled at the corner of my right eye. Her skin was almost translucent in the fading light of sunset.

"I'm not the bad guy, Jasper," she said as causally as if we were just sitting in a booth at some diner having lunch.

"Lady, you're a witch. That makes you bad in my book."

She sighed. "Carlisle did a number on you boys. It must be exhausting to live each moment of your life in fear."

My heart squeezed at the mention of my father. Carlisle was careful to never use his real name on hunts. The list of people who knew his real name was very short and included only hunters. The fact that this witch knew who he was did bad things to my spine.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "I'm not afraid of you."

She smiled, her lavender eyes sparking at the challenge in my voice. "Oh, but you are. You aren't afraid to die. I'll give you that," she told me. "But you are afraid to let me live."

I squashed the reality of her words with a collected mask of indifference on my face.

"Where's my brother?" I repeated. I could feel consciousness dancing away from me again.

"You are fighting a losing battle, little one."

"Listen up bitch," I barked. "Losing battles are the only…"

"Ones worth fighting," she finished. "What is that…rule number eleven…or is it twelve? Maybe it's number fifty-two, hell if I know. He has so many."

I gawked at her in stunned silence for a second. She really did know Dad.

"Where is he?" Whether she thought I meant Carlisle or Edward, I didn't care. Lead me to one and we'd go get the other together.

"Why do you hunt us, Jasper? Can't you accept some of us are harmless?"

I laughed with a sadistic edge to my thoughts. "Lady, there aren't good monsters or bad monsters. There's just evil."

The smile that had played about her lips was finally gone. She watched me in silence, weighing my words with hate growing in her eyes.

"What a little hypocrite you are," she declared.

She tossed a small object toward me. I flinched. Witches were tricky bitches. I was surprised to find the orange pill bottle that landed in my lap.

"Where did you get these?" I recognized the bottle, and the little green pills inside it.

She paced around me, ominous as fuck.

"You know, they enjoy their time here with me," she explained secure in her delusion. "When the tournament ends they go back to their lives stronger for the lessons that they learned while here. I don't hurt them. I treasure them."

I rolled my eyes, groaning at the electric shock of pain that shot through my forehead with the movement.

"You control their minds…change their bodies. You turned that poor kid into a pig! And let that girl drink people's blood," I argued. "You've got one screwy way of treasuring people."

"They want to escape the real world. For a few days, I give them that."

"And what about the people who died?"

"The tournament ends tomorrow. You will understand more after this last sunrise."

"I don't want to understand anything…"

"I know," she snapped.

My hands were suddenly free of the rope binding them. A knife landed next to my leg.

"You're free to do what you will. But I warn you, Mr. Cullen, you might want to adopt a more forgiving view of what it is to be a _monster._"

Her warning fell on deaf ears. I was already cutting my feet loose and scrambling to my feet to fight her.

And of course she disappeared.

"What a bitch!" I yelled to the empty forest. I staggered back as my head continued to throb.

"Eddie!" I shouted, stumbling around the woods. I had no clue if I was heading back to the hotel or not. The damn sun refused to move in the sky. I didn't even know what time it was.

The pain swelled inside my head, forcing me to stop and gag.

"Jazz?" a weak voice rasped.

"Edward?" I echoed, looking all around me for any sign that he was alive.

A hand rose a few feet to my left and I ran toward the brown and green lump that was my brother. He was covered in mud and leaves. His wizard cloak was nowhere to be found. His face was covered in blood—I tried to ignore the fact that most of the blood was dripping from his lips. His eyes were screwed shut and his damn copper colored hair was a chaotic as ever.

"Eddie?" I said, shaking him slightly.

"Where is she?" he croaked.

I glared at the trees around us. "She's gone," I whispered in defeat.

"She said she'd be back…that I should wait for her," he rambled.

"Wait for her? What the hell did that witch want with you, Eddie?"

"Don't call her that!" he argued. He shoved me away and lurched to a sitting position on his own.

"I love her," he confessed.

"Love her? She's a damn witch, Edward. It's just a spell…"

"She's not a witch. She's a Veterinarian student," he clarified.

"Who the hell are you talking about?" I asked, confused out of my damn mind.

"Tanya," he snapped.

"Tanya?" I whispered. "You saw her again?" I probed.

He nodded, groaning with his matching head injury.

"Eddie," I started, feeling that fear I lied about not having swell inside of me. This was the second time in twenty-four hours that he insisted on seeing his dead girlfriend. These dreams seemed less like dreams and more like…delusions…illusions. Something or someone was mind-fucking my brother.

"You need to take these, now." I handed him two of the pills from the bottle that the witch had thrown at me.

"No," he moaned, shoving at me again. He fought his way to his feet and backed away from me with his hands raised.

"I don't need them," he argued.

I stood slowly. The witch's words were spinning in my head. I couldn't shake the implication that she made.

"Edward," I said as gently as I could. "There's a reason Dad had you take these," I tried to remind him. "You need to keep taking them…"

"No!" he yelled. A savage hatred filled his eyes and I stopped dead in my tracks.

My kid brother stood in front of me looking like one of the things I tracked down and killed for a living. His hair was wild and unkempt. His clothes were torn and covered in the filth from what looked like a nightly feeding. His arms were covered in scratches that were no doubt the last defense of whatever he had drunk from last night.

And his face.

His caring, innocent face that I had teased him about so much throughout his life was twisted with animalistic rage. His green eyes were daggers aimed at my soul. His lips were saturated with the blood of some poor unsuspecting prey. And his skin was pale as death.

I swallowed slowly, steeling myself for whatever future we were about to head into.

"Tanya is dead," I reminded him. "Did you start thinking she was real when you stopped taking these?" I guessed.

He didn't say anything. He just stood there, as still as a statue. A low rumbling growl started in his chest.

_No, Eddie, _I begged silently. _Please don't prove him right._

He closed his eyes as if he was drawing all of his strength inward.

"Edward," I called to him softly—one last desperate hope that he could beat this.

When he opened his eyes, my brother was gone. Green eyes were replaced by blazing red slits. The growl became a pronounced snarl. He bared his teeth, snapping them in warning.

"Holy shit," I mouthed.

He started to advance on me, prowling like a mountain lion stalking his prey. I knew he was beyond reasoning at that point. He was a thing of instinct and the closer he got to me the more I reacted on my own instinct.

I backed away, stumbling over the uneven forest floor. I looked around for something to defend myself with. I wasn't even wearing decent clothing for a fight. I remembered the witch's knife that I had tucked in my belt.

I grabbed it reflexively as he launched himself towards me. We fell to the ground in a heap of curse words, snarls, teeth and claws.

He lunged for my neck as if he was sporting fangs. I used every defensive move I had to knock him back. Trouble was Edward was my sparring partner growing up. He knew all my moves. I knew all of his. We wrestled, neither of us gaining much ground.

I hoped to hold him off long enough for the sun to rise. The witch said something about everything going back to normal after the sun came up.

"Listen to me, Edward," I tried to talk to him. If nothing else I hoped it would distract him.

"You don't want to do this. You're under that crazy bitch's spell. You can fight this!" I told him.

He only seemed to understand the word fight. He kicked my legs out from under me and I grunted as the wind was knocked from my lungs.

"My Lord?" I heard a quiet female voice ask.

I looked up to meet the eyes of Pride just as Edward lunged for her.

She screamed.

Edward savagely sunk his teeth into her neck.

And I reacted out of instinct.

It wasn't until he was lying across my lap, blood spurting out of his mouth as he coughed his final breaths that I realized what I had done. My hands shook, covered in my baby brother's blood. The hilt of the knife that I had plunged into his chest pointed at me in accusation.

"No," I moaned, coming to my senses as he the last twitches of life slowed in Edward's body.

"Eddie," I whispered.

"What the fuck have I done?"

I fell back on my haunches, Edward's lifeless body slipping on to the ground unceremoniously. I became a mess of sobs, tears, and agonized moans.

_Goddamn you, Carlisle Cullen._

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"_I want you to promise me, Jasper," he said, handing me a custom knife that I had seen him use on countless monsters._

"_What is it, sir?" I asked, anticipatory of the responsibility that he would entrust me with._

"_You need to promise me that…when the time comes…you will do what you have to."_

_Carlisle had a gift with the cryptic. The man spoke in riddles that rivaled the trolls in fairy tales. _

"_I don't understand…"_

"_You will. One day…" he sighed, glancing back to the closed door of our bedroom. The room where Edward sat, researching our latest case._

_A thought struck me—this was about Edward?_

_Glancing back at me he confirmed my suspicion. "One day you'll feel the change…you'll know it's time. And you need to promise me, son that you'll do what you have to."_

_I furrowed my brow as I tried to make sense of what he was asking me._

"_Are you saying that you want me to…" I couldn't even finish that thought._

"_Kill Edward," he finished, nodding earnestly. _

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

Everything was dark and then suddenly light was blindly me. I coughed as my lungs gasped for breath like I hadn't been using them for days. My eyes stung as I tried to focus on my surroundings.

I was seated behind the wheel of the Impala. Edward was coughing next to me, blinking his eyes rapidly too.

"What the hell?" he whispered.

My mouth was dry, like I'd drooled out my last drop of spit.

_Heat of the Moment _was playing quietly somewhere near me.

"Shit," I mumbled, looking for my cell phone. I checked the number before flipping it open. "Em?" I rasped, coughing again to clear my throat.

"Hey man," Em greeted casually. "Sorry I didn't reply to your text the yesterday. I had this hot date with this mechanic chick I met in New York at the National Mechanics of America convention last month…"

"You went to a convention…" I started to ask. "No…wait…what text message?"

I was so fucking confused. The last thing I remembered was…

I looked over at Edward. His skin had color, his eyes weren't red and glowing and his chest was lacking one deadly placed dagger.

"Thank fuck," I breathed.

"You okay, Jazz?" Em asked.

Edward glanced over at me, looking as innocent as he did when we were kids. I didn't know what he remembered about last night but I could see concern burning in his eyes.

"Yeah," I said, closing my eyes for a second to pull my shit back together. "What did the text say?"

"Car stalled at the Denali Forest. Get your butt here ASAP. And answer your damn phone you fucking grease monkey," he read. He laughed and the receiver vibrated against my ear with the force of it.

I tried to remember sending the text. I remembered the car stalling and then…"You mean I didn't call and talk to you?"

"Not to me, dude. I've been unreachable for twenty four hours, sorry."

_It's only been twenty four hours?_

"Jazz, what's up?" Edward whispered. I held up one finger. I'd get to the debrief in a second.

"How soon can you get to Alaska?"

"Well…I know a guy who has a helicopter and owes me a favor or two. I can probably be there in a few hours. What's wrong with her? Did you electrocute her like you did that stupid truck you had in St. Louis last year? Dammit, Jasper, I told you to _stop _torturing those damn things with car batteries. None of those things out there know where Carlisle is. You think he'd leave anything alive that could track him?"

I didn't respond to his rant. I didn't want Edward to know about that more…extreme method of finding information about Dad.

"I don't know, Em, we just couldn't get her to start," I explained with a hollow, small voice.

"Well, turn the key and let's see what she does," he suggested.

I did as he asked and the engine hummed like there hadn't been any problem in the first place.

"Well…everything's good on this end," I offered sheepishly.

Em laughed again. "Ah, Jasper, you do keep me entertained. Now, take care of that car, she's family. And stop by and see me sometime. I hear tell you have a road buddy again."

I looked over at Edward, who was staring at his hands like he was coming down from a bad acid trip.

"Yeah," I confirmed.

"Well you tell that _ijit _I've missed his ass. And be careful out there."

We said our goodbyes and I hung up. I just stared at the phone for a second.

"So…" Edward started eventually.

"What do you remember?" I asked.

"Hotel, festival, costumes, pig people…you wore a skirt," he teased.

I released a nervous laugh, happy that he had skipped over our final scene last night.

"What happened?"

This wasn't like anything I'd experienced before.

"I recognized the sigils in the forest…well I recognize them now, something was keeping me from remembering what they were while we were…well whatever the hell we were," he explained. "They're the mark of Gwydion. He's considered the father of illusion in Celtic myths. He's also a shape shifter…anyway…I think…"

"That you boys have been played?" a familiar female voice replied.

We both jumped at the sound of her voice. I reached for my gun only to find it missing.

"Son of bitch," I cursed under my breath.

"Join me, boys," she requested, snapping her fingers.

Suddenly Edward and I were standing in the street across from the Impala.

"What are you?" I demanded. I was getting tired of being jerked around. "What have you done to us?"

She smiled, those damn lavender eyes filled with too many secrets. "I'm flattered that you think it was all my doing, Jasper, truly. But I can't take all the credit."

A guy walked up out of nowhere to stand next to her. I recognized his face.

"Elrond?" I asked incredulously.

He laughed, arrogantly. "Actually I go by a very different name…a much _older _name."

"Gwydion?" Edward asked quietly.

"You're a god?" I couldn't believe what they were implying. I'd heard lots of stories of gods and demigods fucking with people. But they were just stories. Carlisle had never run across one…well, he hadn't for as long as I'd lived with him.

"What did you do with our father?" I accused.

Purple-eyes had that cat-like smile on her face. "Well, well, well, he was certainly right about you."

I balled my hands into fists. I might not have a weapon but that didn't I couldn't fight this bitch.

"Calm down, little one," she told me. I felt my body actually calm at her words. Without my command for them to do so, my fists loosened and the rage was washed from my body.

"I have no plans to hurt you, nor did I _do _anything to your father," she assured us. "Well…I did what I could to help him but his fate was in his hands."

"Somebody start making some sense. Now," I pleaded. "What was all that? Did the last two days really not happen?"

Gwydion folded his hands together in front of him, sizing us up with his eyes. "You have been under an illusion. One that was very difficult for me to maintain. You boys have fascinating psyches. Every time I thought I had you tricked your minds would dig out a little piece of truth. I was almost sorry to let you go."

The way he said it was so…_ casual _like fucking with our minds was a fun little game.

"Seriously?" Edward and I said at the same time.

"Yes, seriously," he replied in a mocking tone. "This has been a sacred forest for many centuries, kept so by my protection."

"When you passed the last road sign you entered the realm and fell under the protection illusion," purple-eyes added.

"Who are you?" I asked pointing at her.

"I have many names but you can call me Jessica. I am a sorceress of the realm."

"_Right,_" I said, wondering when this damn role play thing would finally end.

"I'm not role playing, Jasper." She snapped her fingers and my .45 was suddenly in my hand.

I acted on instinct, clicking the safety off and aiming the gun directly between her eyes.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Gwydion warned.

Again the rage melted out of my body and my arm fell limply back to my side. The gun disappeared once more.

"So, what do you protect?" Edward asked. "Why is it necessary for you create this big illusion?"

"We offer a safe place for those like us…those who are _different_ and wish to live peacefully away from humanity."

"Creature camp?" I asked.

Jessica laughed. "You're cute. It is, in a way, a commune if you will—refuge for supernatural beings who wish to attempt to live lives without fear."

"Fear?" Edward repeated skeptically.

Jessica stared me down before responding. I remembered the private convo that she and I had shared in the woods in the…dream…or whatever it was. Her lesson about what monsters really are.

"Safety from us…from hunters," I offered.

"Yes," Gwydion replied. "It is not a perfect system, some still slip through…bring problems from the humans along with them but the beings that live here have dedicated their lives to living in harmony with humanity. And I help them stay that course."

"You wouldn't happen to have a thing by the name of Eleazar up here would you?" I wondered. "We need to talk to him."

Jessica walked past us to the Impala, resting her hand gently on the hood. "Eleazar has a cabin ten miles off the dirt road, back there." She pointed to a road that I hadn't noticed before.

"I didn't let you see it before," Gwydion told me.

"Do you guys read minds?" I asked suspiciously.

"Of course we do," he assured me.

"Oh that's just peachy_,_" I sighed.

"What did you mean that you helped our dad?" Edward asked.

"Your father came here, about a year ago, he ran into something that he wasn't expecting to find here…something that he's been running from for a very long time," Jessica explained.

"Erebos?" I asked instinctively.

She didn't respond but I was pretty sure that's what she meant.

"I had given him an incantation to use in case that evil did catch up with him. I see now that you used it," she said, rubbing the hood as if she was patting the shoulder of dear friend.

"Lady, that's our car," I said, confused as all get out.

She smiled at me over her shoulder. "It's also your father."

There have been times in my life when I just wanted to sit down on the ground and cry my eyes out. Bawl like a damn baby and let somebody else take over the control for a while. I never did it. Carlisle would have kicked my ass if I had even tried to do it. I sure as shit could have dropped to my knees right then and there and given up.

A person reaches a point going down a road like we were where you just can't hold one more damn secret in your head.

"You mean…his life force is bound to the car?" Edward guessed.

"He was right about you too," she said, winking at my brother.

"Carlisle's soul is joined with this car. I know not where his vessel is, I don't sense that it's been destroyed. He's not interested in talking to me right now, though. All I know is that Eleazar was the last person your father was looking for. My guess is that he found him…along with the evil that Eleazar had promised to help hide him from."

I blinked at her, fresh out of words.

"Is there anyway to get him _out _of the car?" Edward asked, stupidly.

"The car talks?" I asked, sounding even stupider.

"All in good time, boys," Jessica said, returning to stand in front of us. "You must follow this road. Know that you have friends here whenever you need us."

_So now we're getting the boot in the ass, huh? Must be asking the right questions…_

"Farewell, Cullen brothers, our destinies will lead us back together one day," Gwydion said. He watched us with unblinking eyes.

I gave him an uncomfortable nod and turned to purple-eyes and her damn Cheshire smile.

"Fear not what lies before and behind you, Jasper," she warned. "Listen to your heart for your emotions are what guide you."

I felt like I was being sent off to Mordor or some shit.

Jessica smacked me upside the head. "And try to be more respectful, even with your thoughts."

"Yes, ma'am," I promised begrudgingly.

I walked to the Impala slowly, staring down at the black paint like I was looking into my dad's eyes for the first time in a year.

"Dad?" I whispered.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed purple-eyes lay her hand on Edward's cheek and his head fell as if in shame.

_What the hell are you telling him? _I thought.

_Don't let him out of your sight, Jasper, _Gwydion voice whispered in my head.

I shook my head sharply at the sound of his voice. I hated having my thoughts invaded. It was bad enough to have my brain read it felt like rape to have thoughts shoved into my skull.

I took his warning to heart, though. Something had shielded Edward from whatever was changing him before we got to Alaska while we were here, but it wasn't going to last. I had to get my baby brother to go back on the juju pills and get his shit back together fast.

I nodded subtly, getting into the car and slamming the door.

"Oh…uh…sorry, Dad," I apologized to the empty interior of the car.

_This is going to be so fucking weird._

As if on some royally fucked up cue, every time I'd screwed some chick in the backseat sprang to mind. There was at least two or three times in the past six months that I could remember dragging some one night stand to the Impala for a few hours of release. I squirmed uncomfortably behind the wheel waiting for Edward to finish is goodbyes.

I cleared my throat. "Well, you have to admit I have skills." I awkwardly threw out, knowing that Carlisle would have laughed off my lusty adventures if he could.

"What was that all about?" I asked as Edward finally climbed into the car.

He shrugged. _Tight-lipped asshole is back,_ I supposed.

"Is it going to be weird riding around _in _Dad?" he asked.

"So long as he doesn't break down outside some freak show carnival ever again, I don't mind it."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

I slowed the car to a crawl as we neared the end of the dirt road. I considered just hanging a U when I caught sight of the burned down cabin.

"I'm not even sure what I was hoping to find," Edward admitted quietly.

I nodded silently and parked without making any motion to get out of the car.

Disappointment was a flavor I was used to tasting in my mouth these days. I'd been let down so much lately I didn't even have the capacity to give a shit that we were facing yet another dead end.

"I'm running out of options here, Eddie," I confessed. "I don't know what we do next."

Edward heaved a sigh. "Well…there's rule number one," he offered, smacking my shoulder with brotherly affection.

"And there's rule number two." He held up the pistol he kept tucked in the glove box.

"And," he continued, stepping out of the car and heading towards the remains of the cabin.

I joined him.

"There's rule number five," he said, waving towards the scene in front of us.

I shook my head staring at the wreckage. The cabin had been destroyed months, if not years, ago.

"I don't think we're going to get very far with number five," I offered bleakly.

Edward shrugged, squatting down to inspect the dirt. "Well, I say so long as we hold on to rule number four…five will work itself out eventually."

I knew what he was getting at. I looked to the sky, wishing like hell I wasn't about to say what I was about to say.

"You have to keep taking them," I told him.

He kept his eyes on the ground. He clenched his hands into fists. I could feel the rage rolling off of him in waves.

"They're poison, you know that?" he asked. "Literally. On the chemical level…they're poison. How do I know he wasn't trying to slowly kill me?"

Every inch of my body wanted to deny it but I remembered that night in perfect detail. Carlisle told me to kill my own brother. Our father was ruthless when it came to hunting evil. He had it in him to turn that passion on the ones he considered family. Who knew whether or not those pills were just another form of insurance for him.

But I couldn't let Edward think that way. I would never allow my brother to get hurt. I refused to do what my father had commanded me to do. All I wanted was for Edward to be safe, and he didn't seem too safe being off of his medication.

"That's horseshit," I lied. "I'm sure there's a reason…a damn good reason for you to take them. Hell, there's hoodoo at work just to deliver the damn things to you. We don't know…until we know why you need them it's just safer to assume…"

"You take them, then," he spat.

I snapped my mouth shut. I gave him a minute to get over the anger. I took the time to make hard choices of my own. If I pushed Edward too hard too fast I would be no better than Carlisle to him. He walked out without ever looking back before. I couldn't let that happen.

We weren't going to make it on the road together if we couldn't find common ground. I put my foot down and decided that was that. I'd stop pushing him, and in exchange he'd have to trust me.

I knew the exact second that he collected himself because his shoulders slouched forward slightly.

_We all have our tells_, I thought cynically. I shouldn't have taken so much pride in being able to spot when my brother hid his pain effectively enough to go on. But shit, that's just the way I was raised.

"Okay," I told him. "We're in this together. No more pills. And we're hitting the road."

I walked back to the car…uh Dad… and Edward stood slowly, still looking out over the abandoned wreckage.

My hand shook slightly as I reached for the handle. If the car really did have Carlisle's soul in it then I could only imagine the rage rolling through him over our exchange just now.

"Come on, Eddie," I shouted. "You drive."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"_You have to do it, Jasper," he ordered._

_I knew he didn't mean right at that moment but I couldn't wrap my head around the concept of what I had to do…eventually do, that is._

"_Sir," my throat was dry, my words failing me as I was about to question him for the first time since he adopted me thirteen years ago._

_He narrowed his eyes. "There should have been a 'yes' before that," he informed me with a cold voice._

_I cleared my throat. "I…I can't," I admitted. _

"_What's rule number one?" he barked._

_I stared at him in disbelief. _Was he serious? _Rule number one directly negated what he was asking me to do._

"_Family is everything," I quoted with a hollow voice._

"_And I'm your family, aren't I?"_

_I nodded mutely._

"_And so is Edward, isn't he?"  
><em>

_I nodded again. I could feel tears choking me as I thought of Edward._

"_But…sir…I can't…I just…can't…" _

"_I'm not saying you have to right now, Jasper," he explained in a hushed voice. He put his hands on my shoulders in what was one of probably only five displays of affection that I had ever received from the man. "But when the time comes, you need to be ready."_

_I shook my head. _

"_You're talking about me killing my brother like…like it's just changing the oil in the Impala," I challenged. "I can't do it."_

_I expected him to yell, maybe even hit me. He was dead serious about this, claiming that we were only racing against time where Edward was concerned. _

_He was afraid._

_And nothing scared Carlisle Cullen._

_I didn't know what was going on. I had no clue why he wanted me to off Edward. I wanted, with every fiber of my being, to just be able to trust him._

"_He's our family," I argued._

_He frowned. The pure rage that filled him was shot across the space between us in one violent spark. I cowered back from the emotion, fully expecting him to decide he had to kill me too._

"_He's a monster," he whispered._

_I would have preferred to have him yelling at me than to feel this contained anger emanating from his soul. _

_I shook my head quickly at his words. "I don't believe you. Edward is a good kid," I defended._

_I could barely believe what I was saying. Not only was I questioning him but I was arguing against him. I had never once stood against Carlisle. _

But this is Edward we were talking about.

"_I love him too," he said, so softly I was almost certain I imagined it._

_My heart stopped. I had been a Cullen for thirteen years. I had never once heard Carlisle say he loved either of us._

"_How far would you go to protect the ones you love?" I echoed his earlier question to me._

_Without missing a beat he responded, "I'd kill whoever I needed to."_

_I was frozen in terror. It couldn't be true. Not Edward. He was just an annoying little kid. He was kind and thoughtful. _

_He had the ability to be something more than what we were._

"_No," I whispered. _

"_Are you kidding me?" Edward shouted, storming into the room full of piss and vinegar. _

_I couldn't verbalize the thoughts racing around in my head. All at once I wanted to jump in front of my brother, but I wanted run away from him, too._

"_You benched me? First you tell me that I have to be a part of this family and step up my game and then you turn around and lock me in my damn room? I'm not a child!" he yelled._

_Dad shifted his gaze from me to Edward, seeming to drop the monumental conversation that we had just been having easily. _

"_I told you to do what I told you to do. That's all you need to worry about!" Dad shouted back. "Now get your ass back into your room."_

_I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. I could see the battle of wills starting up all over again. These two fought more than Tom and Jerry. _

_Edward drew in a deep breath. I knew exactly what he was going to do. I wanted to warn him, stop him. But how, and more importantly why? _

_Maybe on his own he could escape this fatal end that Carlisle had planned for him._

"_I'm not your servant or your soldier, you self-righteous son of a bitch," Edward challenged._

_With zero remorse in his eyes Carlisle raised his hand and backhanded Edward across his cheek._

_I watched my brother stagger back from the blow. Determination overpowered shock or even fear in his features. _

_He marched to the door, throwing it open and turning back to our father with pure unadulterated rage in his eyes._

"_Fuck you," he spat._

"_If you walk out that door you might as well never come back," Dad threatened. _

_Edward cast beseeching eyes at me. He wanted me to come with him._

_How could I tell him that this wasn't about fearing abuse from our father? This wasn't even about taking control of our own lives. This was something much bigger than that. Carlisle was harsh but he cared about us. I didn't have a rat's ass chance in Hell at knowing what do to next if we left him tonight._

_I saw the anger double in my brother's eyes as the fear in mine registered with him._

"_We can't back out now," he told me. _

"_We can't just leave him, Eddie, he's our…" _

"_Our what, Jazz? He's not even our real dad!"_

_I was going to say our only hope. I knew in that minute that Edward had sealed our fates. _

_Carlisle might have been a lot of things, and certainly a perfect father wasn't one of those things, but he had always been there for us. He took care of Edward all of his life. He was the only parent that Edward had ever known. _

_And he still couldn't appreciate that._

"_Get the hell out!" Dad yelled._

_The air in the room grew nuclear with anger. I was feeling pretty pissed myself. _

_For the briefest of seconds I tried to turn back to Dad. I knew better than to think we could survive without the old man. Everyone was filled with emotional constipation. We just needed to cool off and regroup. _

_If only he'd trust us and tell us what the hell this was all about, Edward and I could come around to fighting with him and not against him._

_But the look in his eyes told me everything._

_Edward was out and I was meant to tag along._

_My brother turned on his heel and practically flew out of the hotel room. I looked back one more time. _

_I didn't know what he thought I was going to do. I wondered if he wanted me to follow Edward and keep him safe. I was nearly positive he wanted me to follow him and kill him in his sleep._

_I was so damn confused that I just blindly walked out the door knowing that one day I'd have to end the life of someone that I loved. _

_I hoped like hell that is__ it was my own. _

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**A/N:**

**Carlisle/abusive dad discussion: **There's a fine line in the world of Supernatural regarding whether or not we should offer John Winchester (the father figure) hero-worship or should we call CPS on him. The boys are raised on the road and mostly Dean raises his younger brother Sam. John is hardly ever around and when he is, he's barking orders at his sons and using them in schemes to rid the world of hellacious creatures. So…there's a fine line with this fic regarding Carlisle. This chapter included some references to Carlisle hitting the boys. They are both over the age of eighteen in the flashbacks that I wrote, and though that doesn't make it okay I will point out that Carlisle has never physically abused his sons in the more traditional sense of the concept. That being said, I do find the lifestyle that these characters are forced to lead abusive and won't be romanticizing that in this world. I'll leave it up to your discretion whether you find goodness or darkness in the actions of Carlisle Cullen.

**LARP****: **Live action role playingwhere the participants physically act out their characters' actions. The players pursue goals within a fictional setting represented by the real world, while interacting with each other in character. The outcome of player actions may be mediated by game rules, or determined by consensus among players. (My opinion is that Civil War Reenactments are also LARP events.)

**Gwy****dion:**is a magician, hero and trickster of Welsh mythology. (Wikipedia)

**Sigil:**is a symbol created for a specific magical purpose. A sigil is usually made up of a complex combination of several specific symbols or geometric figures, each with a specific meaning or intent. (Wikipedia)

**Rule #1: **Family is everything

**Rule #2: **Never leave your gun in the car

**Rule #4: **Trust is the difference between walking away and getting blown away

**Rule #5: **Information is key

**Rule #12: **Never trust your eyes

**Rule #15: **Rules are made for a reason


	6. Chapter 5: June 15th, 2010

**A/N: This is a reposting of the same chapter I posted yesterday. I had some technical difficulties and all of my beta's hard work was missing on the last post. This is a cleaned up version. Thanks again for reading!**

**For everyone who has asked, Isabella has an ever evolving role to play in this story just as all the other characters do. Will she and Edward end up in each other's lives?…now just who do you think I am? Alice? ;)**

**Thanks to everyone for reading! And a huge thank you to everyone who takes the time to review. Bring on the discussions. I'm interested to see where you think this is all going. **

**Thank you to my prereaders! And thank you TwilightMomofTwo for all your hard work and patience. I heart ya.**

**Twilight and Supernatural belong to very talented people. I'm just playing around with this.**

**This fic is rated M because at some point we will be seeing people lose their heads (literally) and possibly their virginity (graphically). M kind of covers all those areas. You've been warned.**

***** Important notice*** **

**I have signed up to donate an outtake from this fic to support the Fandom For Texas compilation. Please visit the link on my FFn profile and donate to receive a copy of that outtake along with many other wonderful contributions. **

**The donation deadline has been extended to November 7th. Thanks for your support! **

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"And she ran to him...then they started to fly  
>They looked backward and said goodbye...she had become like they are<br>She had taken his hand...she had become like they are  
>Come on baby...don't fear the reaper"<p>

(Don't Fear the Reaper, Blue Oyster Cult)

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Then:**

**(June 20th, 1987)**

"_An Impala?" I asked, with a creased brow._

_Esme smiled a very feminine smile of appreciation as she inspected the leather interior. "This isn't just an Impala," she informed me. "This is a car that's built to last."_

_I sighed. "It's a used car that's already twenty years old."_

"_And look what great shape it's in," she said, waving toward the immaculate glossy black paint._

"_Ez…I thought we were looking for a family car. What if we have kids?"_

"_Are you joking?" she asked, her eyes growing wide with excitement at the thought of taking family road trips in this car. "Kids would love to hang out in the backseat of this thing. And there's tons of trunk space. We could probably fit an arsenal of baby products back there."_

_I frowned, glaring down at the Impala like it would magically turn into the minivan I had my eye on earlier. This wasn't a practical car. It was built for speed and picking up chicks on a Friday night. This was no vehicle for a family. _

But she really likes it, _I__told__myself__looking__at__the__way__her__eyes__twinkled__as__she__slid__in__behind__the__steering__wheel._

"_I just don't see the two of us riding around in this thing twenty years from now, Ez," I told her truthfully._

_She climbed out of the car, wrapping her arms around my waist and resting her head against my chest. She was pulling out the big guns to get this car. She knew that her cuddles were my Achilles heel. I made a mental note to cash in on this compromise someday. _

"_I suppose… if you love it that much then it can't be all that bad," I said._

"_We can get it?" she asked, practically dancing in place._

_I nodded and laughed as she squealed with delight. _

_I did have to admit that sitting behind the wheel of that car for the first time felt like coming home. _

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Now:**

**(June 15th, 2010)**

**Lesson****five:**Information is key

**Charlie PoV (Sequim, Washington)**

_Here__'__s__to__no__more__bad__endings,_I toasted silently.

The whiskey burned sharply going down my throat. I turned the shot glass over, slamming it down on to the bar and groaning with self-disgust.

My vision grew hazy as memories started to swirl before me. I wasn't drunk enough to forget, just sufficiently buzzed to get stuck in the past.

I saw everything all over again. Meeting Renee and having Bells. Carlisle showing up with Edward in tow for the first time. My first hunt. The day I became a cop. All of it.

My own personal, freaking road straight to hell.

I ordered up another shot.

If the signs were any indication then Carlisle had been right. The end of days was coming… like a bat out of hell, too.

I knew I should be calling those boys. I hadn't seen hide or hair of those two in nearly six months. I hoped like hell they were doing okay.

Carlisle used to say that no news was good news for hunters. Word traveled quickly when a hunter finally became the prey. Monsters liked to talk shit, but they liked to brag even more. I knew if something had happened to the boys that I would have heard about it by now. I just couldn't shake this damn chill of foreboding, though.

_He'd kick my butt for sending them straight toward that witch but he ain't got legs so I don't give a shit. Besides if he wanted to keep them from meeting her all he has to do is break down on the side of the road. _

_Ah, hell, that's probably what he did. _

Truth was it was more than about time for those kids to know what they were caught in the middle of. I did the right thing sending them to Alaska…at least I hoped I did.

The weather report came on the TV in the corner. June fifteenth…That meant it was nearly the twentieth.

Edward's twentieth birthday...

That kicked up a fresh wave of memories.

"_That's all the note said?" I asked, feeling as stupid as he looked._

_Carlisle shrugged, staring down at the redheaded toddler who was sucking on his thumb while he slept peacefully on my couch._

"_Charles, I don't know anything about anything. My wife is dead. His mother is dead. That note was left at the post office in Forks for two years with instructions for it to be delivered to your address here in Phoenix this morning. What the hell does that mean? I didn't even know you two years ago."_

_His blue eyes were bloodshot with exhaustion. I'd only known Carlisle for a handful of months by the time that note arrived in my mailbox, but I knew what kind of stock the man came from._

"_Well…he's only two now. You've got eighteen years to figure out what the hell this is all about," I offered._

"_Lots of help that is," he argued._

"_What the hell do you want from me, Blondie? This shit goes beyond hunting ghosts in basements. May I remind you that I moved to Phoenix to get away from this kind of crap? I swore the day I got married that hunting was buried in my past."_

_Carlisle's face dropped with a deep sense of regret. "Ah hell, Chuck, I'm sorry to bring this to your door."_

"_You didn't," I pointed out. "Whoever had this sent to my house did. Which means it ain't just about you, Carlisle. I somehow have a hand in this kid's fate too."_

"_Are you boys still up?" Renee called from the stairway. _

_I looked up to find my eight-month pregnant wife working her way downstairs and sighed. _

"_I told you not to worry about us, honey."_

_Renee rolled her eyes, waving her hand at me to shut me up. "Nonsense. My nephew is here, isn't he? I'm so excited to give him his present tomorrow." She peeked around Carlisle and smiled when she caught sight of Edward sleeping on the couch. I'd almost forgotten the kid's birthday was tomorrow. Carlisle didn't have any sort of celebration planned, no doubt. Thank God for Renee. She was always here to take care of all of us._

"_Sorry to impose, Renee," Carlisle apologized, his eyes automatically darting to her swollen belly. _

"_Oh please, stop sounding like the idiot that I married," she teased. _

_I harrumphed in response._

"_It's no bother to see you two boys. I don't think little one should sleep on the couch, though. I have the cot set up in the attic. If you don't mind?"_

_Carlisle shrugged. "I'm sure he'll be comfortable wherever. He's a resilient kid."_

_He wasn't kidding about that. Edward was a tough little shit, even at his young age._

"_Eddie," she whispered softly, gently rubbing the back of her hand over his cheek. _

_His wide, startlingly green eyes blinked open suddenly. _

"_Would you like to follow me upstairs and sleep in the special bed I have for you?"_

_He nodded without saying a word. That kid could be so weird sometimes. I don't think I'd heard him try to say more than two or three words in all the times I'd been around him. _

_He looked up at Carlisle as he took Renee's hand. Carlisle gave him a nod of approval and the kid followed Renee to the stairs._

"_Oh," she gasped just as they reached the staircase._

"_What is it?" I asked, on red alert with anything and everything during every minute of her pregnancy. _

"_I think our little girl likes you, Eddie," she said with quiet reverence. "We haven't named her yet, but I think she wants to say hello."_

_She reached out and pressed his little hand against her belly. To my complete and utter shock the kid actually spoke. _

"_Bella."_

The memory was interrupted as my ass started ringing. I rolled my eyes. There were times I believed having a kid was worse than having a wife.

I pulled my phone out and answered without checking the number.

"Yah, Bells, I'm fine," I promised.

"Former Chief Swan?"

_Oh,__crap._"Uh…yah…I mean," I cleared my throat. "Yes, this is Charlie Swan."

"This is Deputy Wilson. I hate to call you so late at night, sir, but I was wondering if you might be willing to come by the station tomorrow. There's been some…unusual activity happening lately. I seem to remember you having…uh…expertise in that area…"

_I seem to remember Deputy Wilson still using a learner's permit the last damn time I worked an official case in this town. _

"Sure, kid, I'll come by say…ten-ish?" I hoped like hell I wasn't slurring my words all over the map. If I was Wilson didn't seem to notice.

I hung up, knowing I'd never remember that appointment.

"Another," I said, waving toward the shot glass in front of me.

I needed to be at least two more shades to the wind before I even thought about heading home tonight.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Edward PoV (on the road ten miles North-East of Sequim, June 16th, 2010)**

The space inside the car was silent as I drove through the winding mountain pass.

I tried to remember a time when I enjoyed driving. I know that time had existed at some point in my life. I used to love to jump in the Volvo and just take off.

Maybe it was the sensation of tumbling into the unknown that was creeping up on me. It seemed, with each new location we traveled to, more secrets and more questions were revealed. I just wanted to pull over and stop moving. I figured if I stood still it would all just go away. Like some metaphorical T-Rex or something.

If the nerves about what was waiting for us at our next destination weren't what robbed me of my driving euphoria, maybe it was the fact that I wasn't driving a car. I was driving my father.

_What. The. Fuck._

It wasn't the strangest thing I'd ever heard. In fact, I had read plenty of stories about soul-binding spells. Hell, I wouldn't ever admit it to my family, but I even read that damn _Harry__Potter_ series. I just couldn't believe that Carlisle had done that to himself. It was a far-fetched scheme as best as I could figure it. To split the soul from the vessel wasn't easy. More importantly to return the soul to the vessel was down right impossible. Carlisle couldn't… wouldn't have attempted something like that without a damn good reason.

I was uneasy with the prospect that that reason was to protect me.

It had been easy to just hate Carlisle all of my life. To resent him. To be annoyed with his secrets. Jasper would find some twisted satisfaction in my guilt right now if he could read my thoughts. I couldn't believe Carlisle would sacrifice that much for me.

_I'm not worth it._

"Edward," Tanya spoke from the backseat. I ignored her. She had popped up around the time we crossed the border back into the US.

I had no idea why she was back, as I had no clue why she had gone missing in the first place. I was beyond confused where she was concerned. She promised me that she was real but if she was then did that mean Jazz wasn't real? He felt pretty damn real too.

I nervously looked over at my brother. I felt like Tanya was some dirty little secret that I had to keep from him. Luckily, Jazz snored softly in the seat next to me. I was safe for a few more hours from having to explain myself to him. I had narrowly escaped explaining why I went missing last month. He wouldn't have taken the truth well. As is, he hightailed it up to Alaska for fear of a repeat performance.

"I think we should go to the coast," Tanya suggested. "We could go surfing on the beach."

She sounded practically giddy with the possibility. That made me smile in spite of the moment. There was just something about her suggestions…her excitement was infectious.

"You'd freeze your ass off if in the waters off this coast, babe," I promised her. "Even in the summertime the beach is pretty clear because it's so damn cold."

Without warning the radio clicked on. The stations started shuffling chaotically, creating a mess of static.

"Shit," I cursed, reaching over and shutting it off.

I stared at the radio for a second before returning my eyes to the mid-morning road. I didn't talk to Tanya for the rest of the trip and I didn't respond at all to the car either.

We were heading to Sequim to find Charlie Swan and hopefully some more answers. It was a slap upside the head the minute we both realized that Charlie had known what was going on the whole time. He had talked to the Impala when we were at his place in January. Sure, at the time we'd thought he and Iz were just going crazy but it made perfect sense now.

I turned off the main highway when I saw the sign for Sequim. Almost immediately I spotted a little bar hidden back by the forest line. I parked the car at the far end of the dirt patch serving as a parking lot. It was still before noon, but I didn't doubt the place was open. In backwoods logging towns about the only thing for guys to do was hang out at bars drink, or drink at home.

"Jazz, we're here," I said, tapping his shoulder lightly.

He snorted but didn't wake up.

"Jazz," I said shoving at his shoulder with force.

"Listen, baby, the room's paid for till Tuesday. Don't worry bout leaving so early…" he mumbled.

The horn on the Impala started blaring suddenly.

Jazz jerked awake, screaming and reaching for his gun. I started laughing.

"What the hell, dude!" he yelled at me once the horn stopped. "You want everyone in town to know we're here or something?"

I held my hands up in defense. "It wasn't me, man. It was the car."

I got out and watched him through the side windows as he digested that information. For all his bluster Jazz couldn't help but be skittish around the car. He was the toughest mother fucker I knew, but even he had always been afraid of our father in one way or another.

He gingerly climbed out and softly shut the door.

"Now you wish you hadn't called the car a 'she' all this time, don't you?" I teased.

He grimaced and headed into the bar.

"Remind me again why we're looking for Charlie here instead of at his house?" I probed, following him inside.

"I told you, I called Em last night to ask about how Charlie and Iz were doing and he said that he's seen Iz hanging out around Push a lot lately. He thinks she's dating that wolf boy. If I know Charlie, he's down here _dealing_ with the situation," Jazz explained.

I nodded, caught off guard by the sudden anger flaring inside of me at the mention of Isabella dating one of the wolves. I remembered in perfect detail that night in Phoenix when I saw her walking home with the pack. That guy who made her laugh…

"Dude, are you growling?" Jazz asked.

It wasn't until he mentioned it that I realized I was, in fact, snarling under my breath. I brushed it off, shrugging and inclining my head forward.

The room was relatively empty but for a woman cleaning glasses at the bar.

"Howdy there, ma'am," Jazz drawled. I resisted the urge to snort out loud at the sound. My brother didn't ooze lust as much as he thought he did.

"Well, aren't you just the picture of adorable," she said, glancing between the two of us. "Y'all are in the wrong spot though. The…_other_bar is in Port Angeles…south side of the docks." She gave us a knowing wink that confused both of us.

"What…_other_bar?" I asked stupidly.

"Oh, don't worry, honey," she added, looking apologetic that she might have offended us or something. "We accept everyone here too, just… if you're looking for phone numbers, the cute boys hang out down there." She winked again, suggestively this time.

"We're not gay," Jazz barked with stiff shoulders.

I just sighed and slid my hands into my pockets.

"Oh," the bartender replied, looking like she found some private joke very funny.

"Do you happen to know a Charlie Swan?" I asked. "He's a friend of ours."

"Ah, the drunk that never goes home," she said, waving toward the back corner.

Charlie's head was resting on the small round table, an empty bottle of rot-gut still clutched in one hand.

"Well, he's seen better days," Jazz mumbled, stopping us short to take in the sight of our would-be uncle.

"Should we wake him?" I asked.

"Hey, Chuck," Jazz greeted him, slapping his shoulder.

Charlie jumped to life, his eyes glassy with intoxication.

"Carlisle?" he whispered.

"Um...N-no," Jazz stuttered.

"Oh, God…I'm so sorry I didn't let you…" Charlie started to blubber.

Jazz shot confused eyes at me, and all I could do was shrug.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Charlie PoV (June 20th, 2009)**

"_Charlie, let me in," he pleaded from the porch. _

_Every instinct in me screamed to just shut the damn door and forget about him. I hadn't had much to do with the jerk since the night Renee passed._

_I settled for opening the door far enough to talk to him through the screen door._

"_You've got a lot of nerve, Blondie."_

"_Let me in, please," he begged. That caught my attention. Carlisle Cullen didn't beg for anything. _

"_What is it?" I asked._

"_I'll explain everything but I need to get inside," he insisted._

_I looked back over my shoulder. Isabella was sitting at the dining room table doing her homework. The birthday cake that she had just finished baking was waiting for us on the counter._

"_Why today?" I grumbled, still refusing to let him in. "Of all the damn days…"_

"_I know what the card meant," he interrupted. "I know why it was sent to you. Please, Charlie…let me in."_

_Maybe it was the six years of mourning the loss of my beloved wife, or the seventeen years of wondering what that boy would do to my family. I don't know exactly what possessed me in that moment but I just slammed the door in his face._

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Edward PoV (June 16th, 2010)**

"Um, Charlie…this is Jasper, Carlisle's _son_," Jazz tried to explain between bouts of pleas for forgiveness and regrets spilling from Charlie's lips.

"The boy turns twenty this week…it's all gone all wrong…all my fault…" Charlie continued to ramble incoherently.

"He's talking about me?" I asked, realizing that I had almost forgotten my own birthday.

"Charlie?" Jazz repeated.

"You should have forced your way in that night…" Charlie sobbed. "I needed to know the truth…too damn stubborn…"

"Charlie…what do you mean about my birthday? Why is it so important that I'm turning twenty?" I inquired desperately.

"The note…it said they'd come for Edward…oh, God, why didn't I let you in?" Charlie moaned, staring straight into Jasper's eyes in agony.

Jazz shot those eyes to me as all the color drained from his face.

"Who's coming, Charlie?" Jasper asked.

"Chief Swan?" a voice called from behind us.

"Damn it," I cursed under my breath as I turned to see the Deputy standing by the bar.

"You in trouble with the law, Chuck?" Jazz half teased under his breath.

Charlie just groaned and laid his head down on the table.

"What's the problem, Officer?" Jazz asked, turning to the cop.

"There's no problem," he replied, looking put out. "Former Chief Swan told me last night that he would stop by the station this morning…but I see that he's…otherwise occupied."

He couldn't keep the regret from his eyes, or hide the slight panic that was belied by the tick in the muscles of his cheek.

_Something's up._

"We're friends of former Chief Swan," I offered, reaching into my jacket pocket and pulling out my Federal marshal badge. I flashed the badge fast enough for the Deputy to see what it was. "I'm Detective Jagger, this is my partner, Detective Richards," I introduced us.

"Jagger and Richards?…Like The Rolling Stones?" he asked.

I cleared my throat. "Uh…yeah… but without the paycheck."

He smiled and nodded. "What brings you to town?"

"Well, Charlie called us last night, told us there was a case he wanted our…expertise on…" I lied. It was an easy fib, though. I highly doubted that Charlie would be called into help with a basic, normal legal matter. I had a hunch that something supernatural was going on around here.

Jasper nodded, displaying his matching badge. "Are there any strange or unusual happenings going on in town, Deputy?" Jazz added. It was spooky sometimes how alike our thoughts were.

Relief washed over his face instantly. "Oh, thank God," he said, stepping forward to shake our hands. "You boys don't know how happy I am to hear that."

"Ah, it's no trouble. We were working a murder case in…Spokane a few days ago. Figured we'd stop by and see what Charlie needed help on," Jazz told him.

"What seems to be the problem?" I asked, focusing the Deputy back to the matter at hand.

"We've had some…weird homicides popping up lately."

"Define _weird_," Jazz prompted.

"Well…for starters we don't usually deal with more than three or four homicides a year up here. And usually they're open and shut cases of wild animal attacks or hunting accidents."

"How many homicides are we talking about?" Jazz asked.

"Twelve deaths in the past six months…three of which happened just this past week. These new ones are so strange that I barely talked the coroner into performing the autopsies."

"Anything linking these murders together? How are these people dying?" I asked.

"Well…we thought at first it was a bear or some other kind of animal, but some of the victims… I wouldn't want to meet the kind of animals that can do what we've seen…" Deputy Wilson was green around the gills as he explained the situation to us.

"Okay," I said, hoping to avoid seeing a grown man puke in public. "Why don't we head down to the station and you can fill us in on the gory details."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

It turns out the town of Sequim wasn't much bigger than a few stop signs. We were close enough to walk to the station from the bar.

After a brief overview with very few details about the cases, we decided to perform our own autopsies on the three latest victims. We got to work dissecting the bodies after Deputy Wilson excused himself, still looking rather ill.

Jazz operated on the first victim while I started in on the second. The first thing I noticed was that the skin of the body felt slimy and squishy—almost like everything underneath had been liquefied.

"Hey, Eddie," Jazz called. I looked up to see that he had removed the first victim's heart and held it out to me. "Be my Valentine?" he asked with an expectant pout.

I rolled my eyes. "You know…no matter how many times you insist on doing that the joke still isn't funny," I informed him.

He chuckled and we both went back to work on the autopsies. It was strange to think that this could have been a daily chore of mine if events had happened differently. If Jazz hadn't shown up in Chicago I would have been on the fast track to becoming a doctor. Cutting open cadavers would have been my daily afternoon chore.

_It__'__s__not__like__I__needed__the__practice_, I thought ironically. I wondered how many of my fellow classmates had been dissecting humans since they were kids.

_Hopefully__just__me,_ I thought. Carlisle educated us early on how to perform autopsies. Not only was it a skill that most officers we pretended to be were trained in; it was one of the best forms of information gathering at our disposal.

I was surprised when my hand slipped through the epidermis layer to find nothing but an empty cavern where the stomach should have been.

"Ah ha," Jazz said, looking up from the body he was examining. "There are definite claw marks here…this guy was attacked by a wendigo," he determined.

"You sure?" I asked incredulously, still looking at the damage done to the body in front of me.

"Yep," he confirmed.

"Well…that's weird," I said.

"Why?"

"This guy is missing his internal organs. That would suggest he was eaten by a ghoul."

"Yeah…that is weird," Jazz agreed. "What's behind body number three?"

We both dug into the third victim.

"Ew," Jazz said after a moment.

"What?" 

"This guy has sticky stuff all over his hands and arms…almost like a…web. Arachne?"

I inspected the substance, recognizing it as the web spun by an arachne.

With each new body this case was getting stranger and stranger.

"Where're the coroner reports from the other victims?"

Jazz washed his hands and pulled the file from the back counter, reading off the causes of death. "Okay, let's see, victim numero uno was attacked on January twelfth."

"The twelfth?" I echoed.

"Yeah, so?"

"It's…that's the day we left California."

"Yeah, so?" Jazz repeated slowly like he thought I had a head injury.

"I just remembered the date is all," I told him.

"O-kay," he replied, returning to the case file. "So this first victim was found…missing his hands and feet."

I ran that MO through my paranormal research. "That's not related to a monster…I mean not a creature…monster…it's more related to a Hook Man or a ritualistic murder."

"Hook Man? You mean we're dealing with ghosts, too?"

I shrugged. "Well… monsters don't tend to carry around weapons to hack off limbs with. Something that removes specific body parts has more predetermined intentions with the victim than just hunting and feeding."

I pulled the latex gloves from my hands and tossed them into the trash.

"What do the other cases look like?" I prompted.

"Let's see…ghoul…wendigo…bugs…bugs…bugs…Jesus that's a shit-ton of insects…ghost…ghost…and one dude who got hit by a car. I'm not entirely sure why he was put on the list…no wait, he was hit by a car that didn't have an engine in it…ghost," he listed off all the murders.

"With the ghosts… were they all killed in the same way?"

"Nope. Hands and feet cut off, run down by a car, this one dude is listed as scared to death…how is that even possible?"

"There's a ghost in… Japanese culture, the Buruburu…it's born of a person's fear after dying in a terrifying manner. They can infect others with their fear. Kinda like a… ghost sickness…essentially making the victim go insane and then die of fright," I explained absently as I washed my hands.

"Why couldn't you have been more like Rain Man? If you could do that shit with counting cards we'd be millionaires by now," Jazz grumbled sarcastically.

"Technically counting cards isn't all that difficult," I pointed out.

His eyebrows rose in invitation, and I rolled my eyes. "But it is illegal," I quickly added.

He snorted. "You mean more illegal than impersonating Federal marshals and cutting up dead bodies under false pretenses?"

"Getting back to that pastime," I offered as a hasty segue. "This isn't making any sense to me at all. What the hell is going on here, Jazz? How can there be so many monsters, all feeding in one spot? Not to mention all the ghosts that set up shop."

"You got me, Eddie…I mean with the exception of _Sunnydale_there's no such thing as a location where monsters are willing to commune with each other."

His words sparked a memory. "Didn't Gwydion say that the Denali Forest was a monster commune?" I asked, hazy on the details of the conversation in question.

"Yeah, but that was there. He didn't say they had locations set up all over the world," Jazz pointed out. "And that place was like Beastie Woodstock or some shit. They wanted to live in harmony with humans, right? Seems to me these monsters have different motives."

"So…how is it that three of the most lethal monsters are all hunting in this town without annihilating each other?"

"You got me, Eddie."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

We finished up the paperwork for the autopsies and checked in with Deputy Wilson. We told him to call us if anything new developed in the case.

It was a quiet walk back to the bar to retrieve Charlie.

"Dude…it's dark already?" Jazz asked out of the blue.

I looked up to notice that it was, in fact, nighttime already. "Yeah, guess we were in there a while. It's seven thirty," I told him, reading the glowing numbers from my phone.

"Nothing is more diverting than trolling through open body parts," Jazz joked.

"That's gross," I told him, but I laughed quietly with him. It was a nice moment, one that made me reflect on the fact that we spent far too many hours of our lives dissecting dead things.

"Ah, man," Jazz griped.

"What?"

"You've got…'you ever think' face," he informed me with a huff.

"Excuse me?"

"You look like you're about to say "you ever think" and then fill the next ten minutes of our walk with introspective bull crap I'm not in the mood for," he explained.

"You're quite the thesaurus this evening," I teased.

"Bite me," he snapped.

The bar was filled with people when we returned. Charlie was still set up at the table in the corner but he wasn't alone anymore.

Just the sight of the brunette locks pulled into a tight braid that ran down her back intimidated me.

"Shit," I cursed under my breath.

"Is that Iz?" Jazz asked, stopping at the bar to order some beers.

"Um…" I said, noticing that she was wearing a dress. It was backless and I was hypnotized by the way the muscles in her shoulders moved as she spoke animatedly with her father.

"Earth to Edward," Jazz said, punching my shoulder.

"What? _Jerk_," I whined, massaging my arm and glaring at him.

He smirked, his eyes filled with stupid fantastical jokes. "_Bitch_," he teased with a wink.

When I turned my attention back to Charlie, he was alone once more. I wasn't sure if I was happy or upset that we had missed the opportunity to talk to her.

"Why don't we stay in Port Angeles while we're here?" I asked as we walked to Charlie's table.

"Because staying with Charlie is free," Jazz informed me like I was still nursing a head injury.

"Yeah, but he lives in the woods. The victims all lived in Port Angeles…It will save us the commute…"

"The commute?" Jazz echoed sarcastically. "Eddie, PA is like two seconds up the road."

"Jazz…please. Just this once can you do this for me?"

He watched me for a second and nodded reluctantly. "Fine."

"Come on, Charlie," Jazz said, pulling the former Chief of Police from his chair.

Charlie swayed, leaning against Jazz heavily.

"How did you stop being a car?" Charlie mumbled when we exited out to the parking lot.

Jazz sighed. "Oh, we are so having a long conversation once your butt is sober."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

I sat up in bed researching different monster lore on my computer after Jazz fell asleep. I couldn't shut my brain off. This had to be the weirdest case we'd ever worked.

"Edward? Will you read to me?" Tanya asked, sitting at the edge of the bed.

I frowned without replying to her.

_Speaking__of__weird._ I wasn't overly thrilled to find Tanya waiting for me in the hotel room when we checked in. I had kind of hoped that she would stay gone again after she didn't follow us into the bar.

"I'm busy," I mumbled quietly.

"Why are we here? I thought we were going to go?" she gently nudged, running her hand along my calf.

I groaned. _How__could__I__possibly__feel__that__if__she__'__s__not__real?_

Jasper started snoring, the sound grating my nerves. _Why__wouldn__'__t__he__just__disappear__if__I__was__imagining__him?_

"I can't go with you, Tanya," I said, my voice barely a whisper.

She frowned, watching me silently with eyes filled with regrets. She had the same vacant, sad look that was in her eyes when I found her…

"Come on, Edward, you can't stay in here all night. Just a walk…fresh air. If you study too much you'll go crazy," she teased.

I rolled my eyes. _Think__I__'__m__past__the__point__of__no__return__on__that__one._

I looked at the clock. It was just a few minutes till midnight.

_A walk might not be a bad thing._

I left Jazz a note on the hotel stationary that said I was going for a walk. It was the least I could do after the vanishing act I pulled last month.

I made a point to root myself in the reality of the room before I followed Tanya outside. I took a card from the desk that had the hotel's information on it, just in case. Half of the reason why I had been missing for so long the last time that I followed her was that I simply couldn't remember where I had been. I was bound and determined to not repeat that mistake.

The air was cool when I stepped out of the room. Tanya was resting against the side of the Impala, waiting for me with a soft smile.

I looked at the car, half tempted to ask Carlisle if he could see her. I decided that asking my car if it could see my invisible girlfriend was just one step too far into _Insanity-ville_ for the evening.

"Where are we going?" she whispered.

I just shrugged. I didn't have any place in mind. We wandered down a few streets. I could smell the ocean in the night air. The town was not the most appealing place to walk through at night. The few tourist-related shops closed up early and the remainder of the town was just ominous looking factories and storage facilities for the local mill. I passed the occasional couple enjoying a night out. There were a few groups of teenagers that I noticed wandering around as well.

_Don't towns like this have curfews or something?_

"Lighten up, Edward," Tanya teased, seeming to read my mind.

I was about to point out that she couldn't possibly be real if she was understanding the way I think when I caught sight of bare back and brown braid.

"Iz?" I whispered. She was walking quickly toward a dark alley all alone.

"Seriously?" I groaned. The girl had no common sense.

I jogged to catch up with her, not even thinking about how she would react to finding me suddenly stalking her in the middle of the night.

She disappeared into the dark alley before I could reach her, and I followed ready to fend off any attackers who might be waiting.

A few steps into the alley I realized she was nowhere to be found.

"That's strange…" I mumbled.

"Hi-ya!" a voice shouted behind me a second before I felt a sharp pain in my left ass cheek. I slammed against the alley wall, grunting in surprise.

"You get your kicks from following women into dark alleys, huh, pal?" The question was followed by a sharp kick to my side.

I doubled over as the wind was knocked out of my lungs. I noticed the black high heel swing toward me once more. I ducked back, falling on my ass to narrowly escape a broken nose.

_Dear__God,__please__tell__me__Jazz__can__'__t__see__me__now,_I thought as I felt my attacker jump on my back to pin me down.

"Now," the voice said, grabbing my wrists and twisting my arms behind me.

I hissed as pain sliced through my shoulder. I tried to struggle against my attacker's hold. I could tell it was a female by the light weight of her body. That wasn't much of a relief. At least a cross-dressing dude would be my size. This chick was obviously smaller than me but was as strong as a freaking ox.

"What in the hell is your problem…Oh. My. God," she said.

I felt a hand tug at my hair and groaned in pain.

"Edward?"

I stopped thrashing against her hold, finally recognizing the voice. I closed my eyes and let my face fall against the disgusting city street.

"Isabella?" I mumbled against the pavement.

She climbed off me, and I considered just staying on the ground until I was alone and could crawl away in shame.

_I seriously just had my ass kicked by a seventeen year old girl? Dear sweet fluffy Lord, please tell me my brother will never hear about this._

"What are you doing here?" she asked, without offering to help me up.

I rolled over and sluggishly pulled myself to my feet, feeling a little more in control when I stood tall enough to look down at her.

_Who are you kidding, Cullen? You've got an easy foot on her and she still beat your ass like you were a toddler._

"I…uh…I," I stammered. I couldn't find the right excuse fast enough.

"Why were you following me?" she accused, crossing her arms over her chest.

"We're working…on a case," I said defensively. No matter that we had no leads in said case or the fact that I wasn't actually wandering the streets at midnight for any reason involving that case. She didn't need to know that.

"Those weird murders?" she asked, seeming to genuinely be interested in the matter.

I nodded. "Yeah…you know anything about it?"

"Well," she started, shifting her eyes away from me like she was worried someone might overhear us. "Jake and his friends…"

I rolled my eyes and looked back down the alley to see if Tanya had followed us.

"What?" she sneered, disgust twisting her features as she interpreted my reaction. "Don't tell me you have a problem with them too. They helped with the situation with my mom."

"Too?" I echoed, hopeful that I wasn't alone in my distaste for her four-legged boy band. 

She made an aggravated sound and turned to stalk further down the alley.

"Charlie doesn't like them either, does he?" I guessed, jogging to catch up with her.

"It's really none of your business, Cullen," she muttered.

"Where are you going? You're all dressed up…You look like a _girl_."

She stopped on a dime and spun to face me. I nearly toppled into her.

"It's none. Of. Your. Business. Cullen," she repeated in a clipped tone. "And for the record, I _am_a girl! Do me a favor," she added with anger simmering in her brown eyes. "Leave town. Nothing good ever comes of you two being around my family."

With that she shot off back down the alley and turned left when she reached the next block. I waited a handful of minutes, debating on whether or not I should follow her request. I didn't know the first thing about what was happening in this town. Maybe it would be best if we took off.

_Especially__since__it__'__s__almost__the__twentieth,_I told myself.

"I don't like her, Edward," Tanya informed me quietly once we were alone. The pure hatred that was on Tanya's face changed something in me.

I felt protective, defensive. Isabella might not be my biggest fan and she might infuriate me to no end, but she wasn't someone to be hated. I was shocked by the influx of rage that pulsed through me as I looked at Tanya.

_Iz__always__brings__out__the__angry__side__of__me,_ I mentally mumbled.

"I don't want you to have anything else to do with her," Tanya demanded, laying her hand on my shoulder. "I love you, Edward. I want you to come away with me."

I couldn't explain it, but all at once the spell was broken. I didn't care any longer if Tanya was real or just a ghost haunting me. I didn't care about her at all.

"That doesn't mean anything to me," I said, following Iz.

She was already turning down the next block when I hit the street. I ran to catch up but still kept my distance. I also made sure to check behind me, paranoid that she was just waiting to go for round two.

She wandered down another dark alley all alone. _The__girl__has__a__death__wish._

She knocked three times on a large metal door at the end of the alley. A woman, not much older than Isabella, answered the door. She was blonde, covered in tattoos and piercings that I could easily see from my hiding spot in the dark walkway. Something was familiar about the girl but I couldn't place it.

Iz handed the girl a wad of cash, and she nodded her into the building. I watched the door for a few minutes, realizing that this had to be the back door to whatever company Iz was sneaking into. I circled around to the front.

_Fantasy__Ink_was written sign at the front of the building. The lights were turned off, so I assumed the place was closed for the night.

"What are you up to, Isabella?"

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"Charlie, you really need to drink more water," Jazz said casually the next morning as he read the newspaper.

I tried not to laugh out loud when Charlie moaned in pain from the couch in the living room. I was seated at the kitchen table still researching on my laptop. I had switched from monster websites to researching local businesses. A certain tattoo shop might have been next on my list.

"When was the last time you drank so much?" I joked.

"Didn't drink enough. I'm practically sober," Charlie muttered in agony.

Jazz snorted. "Been spending lots of time with Jim Bean lately, Chuck?"

"Did you come to town just to annoy me, you moron?"

"I'm not sure you're in the right frame of mind to get into the ins and outs of why we're here, Charlie," I offered.

"I know why you're here," he said with a reserved tone. "You're here because you found that witch, and she told you your dad's a car. And you know that I know he's a car," Charlie confessed.

The air in the room shifted as he spoke. It was the first time, in a long damn time, that someone offered us information straight out like that. As happy as I was to hear some validation to what we had been guessing out for nearly a year now, I couldn't help but take what Charlie was about to tell us with a grain of salt.

_Rule number twenty two: Straight talk hides crooked secrets._

I stood up and joined them in the living room, watching Charlie speculatively. "What do you know?" I asked quietly.

Charlie looked between the two of us with sad eyes.

"Talk, Charlie," Jasper commanded.

"It's not that easy…to explain, that is," he laughed without humor. "Your dad used to tell me that all of the time, used to piss the ever living snot out of me when he did it too," he said. We shared a quiet laugh of commiseration together. "Truth is…there's just so much to it. And I don't know all of it, kids, I wish I did."

We leaned in, watching our would-be uncle with hope.

"Where do I begin? Um..."

"How about you start by telling us why you didn't just tell us the truth before," Jasper offered with venom in his voice.

Charlie wrung his hands together nervously. "He wouldn't let me…I wanted to tell you, but your dad warned me not to. He thought it had all blown over. He thought that whatever was coming was over and he didn't want you two to find out about what happened last summer."

"But things aren't safe?" I assumed.

Charlie sighed. "There have always been signs…omens that pop up wherever evil forces are at work."

We both nodded in understanding. That was one of the first things a good hunter checked when entering a town.

"This is too complicated to really tell you everything," he grumbled.

"Try," Jasper demanded.

"I grew up here, in Sequim. My dad worked at the mill. My mom baked apple pies every Sunday," he reminisced.

There was a sadness in Charlie's eyes that made my heart ache. I didn't have that kind of childhood to be able to relate to him. I could tell by the melancholy look on his face that that sort of life was long since buried in his past as well.

"I didn't have any plans to become a hunter. Hell, I didn't even know that hunters existed. Not till the day I met her. Renee." The fingers of his right hand absently twirled the ring around his left ring finger as he spoke. "You boys remember that I told you she was from Forks?"

We nodded.

"Well, I met her here. I wanted to join the Force, but I was left with only a few options between here and Seattle. I was the youngest Deputy the town had ever had, fresh out of the Academy. The Chief was killed not… two weeks after I was on the job. And the case led me to the door step of one Renee Dwyer."

"Did she kill him?" I asked, unsure where all of this was going.

Charlie shook his head, giving me a "are you kidding me, kid" look.

"No, but she was involved with it. This…thing was following her…an entity. At the time I wanted to call it a ghost, but…your dad met up with the same thing last summer."

Jasper sucked in a sharp breath.

"What was it, Charlie?" I whispered.

He shook his head. We hadn't arrived at the right place in the story yet. "The thing tried to attack her one night while I was on patrol. I had parked in front of her house for protection. Renee knew all the tricks. She had spook-proofed her house. The thing got past the devil's trap at her front door. It ghosted over the line of salt at her bedroom door. It didn't bat an eye when she tossed holy water on it."

"What the hell was it?" Jazz asked.

"That, boys, is still the ultimate mystery. Carlisle knows…I'm sure he knows. He just keeps telling me it's not important. I think he thinks that if we know too much about it we won't resist going after it. I assume by now you know its name."

"Erebos," we both said.

He nodded. "Anyway, when I busted through her bedroom door with my gun blazed and my eyes filled with terror, it disappeared. I couldn't pull myself away from the woman after that. She…showed me this whole other side of the world. Opened my eyes to things I never knew existed. When you find out that the foundation of your world…what you knew was truth is altered, you cling tightly to the people who know that same truth. I couldn't even dream of talking to other girls after that. Besides that…I was pretty sweet on Renee," he confessed with a pink stain on his cheeks.

_Charlie Swan actually blushed? Now, I've seen everything. _

"I was elected Chief a year later and only held the position for about a month. You wouldn't believe the amount of ghosts that haunt these hills."

"I proposed, finally, and she accepted and we decided to move away. We figured starting fresh somewhere new would be best for us. Renee picked Phoenix. She liked the sun…the heat. She said it was the complete opposite of up here," he smiled wistfully.

"We were happy. She got pregnant. I got a job on the Force there…life was good. And then I met your dad."

I noticed that he twirled the ring faster in his grasp when he reached this portion of the story.

"I don't think I have to explain too much to you boys about the years that followed. Carlisle was hunting a Woman in White along a back highway in my jurisdiction. I made the fateful mistake of coming across his path and working with him. The man was…" He shook his head, glancing at us to determine whether he should finish that thought or not.

"Possessed with a passion," I said, guessing at what he was thinking.

He nodded. "Yeah. Anyway, one night he was at the house and a special delivery arrived. A package that only I could sign for."

He looked at me then, an accusation burning in his eyes. He shifted his glance and continued with the story. "It was a note, sent from the post office in Forks. It had been left at the post office on June 20th, 1990 with specific instructions for delivery to one Charles R. Swan in Phoenix, Arizona two years later."

"Two years later?" I repeated.

"Why was it sent to you and not Carlisle? Did you two even know each other in 1990?" Jasper asked.

He shook his head. "Nope. I didn't meet your dad until a few months before that note arrived. I can count on one hand the number of times I'd driven to Forks in all the years I lived in this town. Once I moved to Phoenix, I didn't even remember there was a town called Forks up here."

"Then why you?" I asked.

"I figured whoever was trying to get the note to your dad knew he would be with me that night."

"Why didn't they just deliver the note to dad when he picked Edward up from the orphanage? He was in town…six months after that note was dropped off."

"I know, Jasper. We asked ourselves these same questions over and over again. It wasn't until your dad showed up last summer that he figured out why."

We both leaned in to hear his explanation.

Charlie shifted back on the couch, looking exhausted. "Look, Carlisle came to visit me last year…on your birthday," he said, glancing back at me briefly. "I wouldn't let him inside house. He said he'd figured it all out. He knew why I was involved. He knew why the card was sent to my house…all of it. I wouldn't let him in and he had to face what was coming on his own."

"What was coming?" I asked my heart was sinking with what I knew he was about to say.

"Erebos," he confirmed. "It tracked him down, looking for you."

Jasper glanced over at me, the color draining from his face. It seemed I was the only person in my life that had yet to come face to face with this ultimate baddie.

"I didn't find out about that until after the Impala showed up."

"It just showed up?" Jasper asked.

I remembered what he had told me that night in Lawrence. "Isn't that what you said happened to you?" I asked him. He nodded.

We both looked back at Charlie for an explanation.

"One day the Impala was just parked out front. I never saw Carlisle around the car. I didn't see him around town. The car was just suddenly there when I woke up. I left it there for a week. I considered having it towed, but then I figured I should at least look through it to see if he left any information in it. And then…he talked to me."

Jessica had mentioned something about Carlisle having the ability to speak even though he was bound to the car. I wondered why he never talked to us.

"This is where it gets really complicated, boys. Where I don't have all the information to fill the gaps, but I'll try. The note…it was sent by a psychic. One that has been trying to help… _guide_ us…all of us through some big damn prophecy," he explained, shrugging his shoulders in frustration.

"Did Carlisle ever meet the psychic?" I asked, hopeful that we might be able to talk to this person too.

Charlie shook his head, frowning. "No. But he said Erebos bitched about 'the third-eyed little pixie making this more difficult than it needed to be'."

"A pixie? Like a fairy?" Jazz asked in trepidation.

"Why are you so freaked out by fairies?" I half asked, half teased. Jazz had always been uneasy with the prospect of tiny little flying creatures like fairies.

"Why do clowns freak the fuck out of you?" he shot back at me.

I glared back in response.

"Ladies?" Charlie asked, interrupting our tiff.

"Sorry," we replied in unison.

"I don't think it's a fairy…but I would imagine it's a small woman."

"Like a little person?" Jazz asked, again perplexed by the prospect.

"Dude, what is your deal with height?" I inquired.

He shrugged.

"I just mean a petite woman," Charlie said, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, the psychic had tried to warn us but I guess the future isn't as precise as one might hope. And we lost a few along the way…" He looked down as he fiddled with his ring once more.

"So what did it say? The note?" I asked with my nerves on edge.

"I've got it here someplace…" Charlie said, standing to rummage through a hidden compartment on the mantle. "Here it is." He handed me the small white note card.

I felt my heart beating wildly in my throat as I held the piece of paper. I was almost too terrified to turn it over.

_Be mindful. Disguise the scent. They will come for him on his twentieth birthday._

There was no name. No address. Just the warning.

"Who are _they_?"

"I don't know."

"Who sent this?"

"I don't know…" Charlie's voice cracked with emotion. That hope that I had felt when this conversation began was quickly fading.

"What does disguise the scent mean?" I asked, running my thumb over the words.

"Carlisle explained that to me too. He actually figured that one out early on…probably because he was a doctor and all. He visited Madame Tami who lives out in the deep woods between here and Forks. She's known for hoodoo and blood rituals. She told him what that meant, and how to take care of it. The scent…it's your blood, Edward. Whoever it is that's been looking for you since Elizabeth Masen burst into flames twenty years ago will recognize your blood…"

"Erebos," Jazz whispered. "He can smell him?...Edward?"

Charlie nodded gravely. "He could. That's one of the things he wanted to explain to me that night…when I wouldn't let him in. When Erebos couldn't find Edward's blood he followed the scent that he knew would lead him straight to the kid. The one person who had been defending and protecting the child since Elizabeth's death…and because I was a damn stubborn fool…well your dad had to face that bastard all alone."

The air in the living room was heavy with regrets and guilt.

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you boys this sooner. But your dad didn't want me to. Erebos is still out there. He had me drive him to you, Jasper, and leave without telling you what happened. He believed that was the only way to keep you boys safe. Even in January…when everything went all sideways…and it looked like maybe that thing was coming back he didn't want you boys to know, because he thought that would keep you safe."

"The ol' Carlisle Cullen motto," I joked humorlessly. "Ignorance is safety."

"There's just one thing I don't get," I said. "How has Erebos not been able to smell me? What does the 'disguise the scent' mean? I haven't disguised my blood…"

"Yes, you have," Charlie informed me with a deep sigh. "Those pills you take are doing just that. They mask the scent of your blood and make you smell like…nothing. So, without Carlisle around you and with those pills in your system you're pretty much off the radar."

_Oh shit. _

I shot a nervous glance at my brother who was frozen with barely contained rage, and slight panic. He didn't look at me, but I felt like he was screaming at me.

_He__'__s__not__going__to__tell__me__that__he__told__me__so,_I thought. _He__'__s__just__going__to__cram__the__pills__down__my__throat__the__next__time__I__fall__asleep._

"Did Dad have any theories about why this all is going down on Edward's twentieth birthday? Why "they" are coming in four days?" Jasper asked, with fear coated his words.

Charlie shook his head. "My only guess would be that the psychic could see that up until now Edward would be safe. Something is probably off that Carlisle didn't plan for…Something that we have to brace ourselves for."

I swallowed anxiously. _Yeah,__something__'__s__off.__Me.__I__'__m__off__my__meds.__I__'__m__a__big__blinking__Rudolph__the__Red__Nosed__Reindeer__on__their__radar__screen._

"So we need to get this case solved before my birthday," I announced flatly.

It was time to close Memory Lane for the time being.

I needed to get out of town. Away from the people that I cared about. Too many people had already lost their lives because of me. I couldn't live with myself if Charlie, or God forbid Iz, were hurt because I was a damn fool. I had to help solve this case before the twentieth and then head out of town all alone.

I especially had to make sure I left Jazz behind. My brother had had enough of his own blood spilled in my name.

I returned to the kitchen and picked up where I left off with research. The only connecting link between the victims was that each had a teenage daughter. That was it and it didn't help. None of the creatures that we were dealing with had such selective taste. In most scenarios the daughters would have been the ones attacked, not the parents. Which led me to the conclusion that maybe the kids were responsible.

That theory made even less sense.

I knew that most parents considered teenagers to be monsters but I couldn't believe that all of these kids were suddenly turning into "Hunters' Most Wanted".

I was back to square one, researching the creatures themselves. I lost myself in the different ancient texts that I pulled up over the next couple of hours. Charlie and Jasper stayed in the living room, shooting the shit, as they would say.

The sound of a loud engine drew my attention from the computer screen eventually. I glanced out the kitchen window and caught sight of a couple riding a black, sleek motorcycle. I recognized Iz's hair peeking out from beneath her helmet. They parked in front of the house and I couldn't help my voyeurism. I lied to myself and tried to say it was that damn wolf kid. From the second I had laid eyes on him I knew he was trouble. Iz even said last night that I wasn't the only one who felt that way.

I refused to acknowledge that the reason he was bad news was because he was putting his tongue down Iz's throat. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he squeezed her ass with his disgustingly large hands.

"Get a fucking room," I mumbled under my breath. Naturally, wolf-hearing was super powered and wolf boy raised one hand to flip me off as he continued to devour Iz's lips.

_Well__at__least__that__'__s__one__less__hand__on__her__ass,_I thought to myself.

"Isabella Marie!" Charlie shouted from the front door. "You are in _public_!"

Iz jumped back from the oral-attack and said her goodbyes. She looked pissed as she walked to the door.

"Must you always treat me like a child?" she complained. She stormed into the kitchen from the living room and I wished I had had the foresight to leap behind the couch for protection.

"Oh, I see the idiot didn't take my advice," she snarled in my general direction.

"What time did you get in last night?" Charlie asked, following her into the kitchen with an equally disgruntled scowl.

"Gee…I don't know. What day did you leave for the bar?" Iz replied spitefully.

"That's my business. I'm the adult and you're still the kid. When did you get home last night?" he demanded.

I was intruding upon their private conversation but for the life of me I couldn't leave the room. I was just as interested as her father to find out what Iz was doing last night. She was still dressed in the same high heels that she had worn last night. My side stung in pain at the memory of those shoes. She wore a leather jacket that had to belong to wolf boy since she was drowning in it.

"Um…let me see," she reached over and grabbed Charlie's left wrist, looking at his watch. "Half past right now."

"You're grounded, young lady!" Charlie shouted. "For the rest of your life!" he added with his face practically purple.

Iz sighed, that classic teenage device that was sure to make all parents explode with rage.

"You'd have to keep your ass home long enough to make sure I was in my room, Dad," she pointed out. "But I'll humor you for the time being." She sauntered out of the room, practically daring him to get his handcuffs or something.

"Isabella Marie!" he shouted from the bottom of the staircase once she had walked up to her room. "You cannot talk to me that way!"

"And you can't treat me like some kid you actually raised, Charles Rupert!" she shouted back. She slammed her door to signal the end of the conversation.

Charlie steamed at the base of the stairs. He looked like he was one second away from a massive coronary.

Jazz, who had simply read the newspaper through the entire exchange, lowered the paper from his face.

"Your middle name is Rupert?" he asked.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"Dude…I think there's a baby alien in this jar," Jazz said, staring at the shelf of jarred roots at the back of the shop.

"That's a turnip…in what looks to be apple juice," I said with heavy sarcasm.

He smiled at me over his shoulder. "You know with all the crap you retain in that encyclopedia of weird noggin of yours I really would have expected you to like this place."

_This__place_was an herbal remedies supply shop located directly across the street from _Fantasy__Ink.__The__Feel__Good__Place_was a glorified new-age trendy shop that looked to be a wanna-be Wicca supply store.

"I like the old…natural stuff," I said, rolling my eyes at the abundance of mislabeled herbs on the shelf next to me. "I don't appreciate it when someone pretends to be something they're not."

"Yeah," he agreed, watching me for an uncomfortable minute longer.

"Welcome to _The__Feel__Good__Place_," a voice said from the other side of the shop.

We leaned around the floor to ceiling shelves to see a young woman with her dark brown hair pulled up into pigtails and wearing whimsical glasses staring back at us.

"Hi," I replied, waving slightly. The shop was small and crammed with every sort or plant in a jar that you could think of. Even though we were on the opposite side of the shop from her, it felt like we were standing right in front of her.

"What can I help you boys find today?" she asked, not moving from her spot on the other side of the counter.

Jazz headed over to talk to her while I kept searching the shelves in the store for anything suspicious. The teenage daughters of the victims frequented this shop. There were credit card bills for well over a thousand dollars to this place from each of the girls.

"You pushing dope?" I overheard Jasper ask.

I groaned at his lack of tack and stumbled against a shelf full of seashells. I cringed, waiting for the smashing to begin. To my surprise I didn't hear anything.

"You break it and you bought it, pal," the owner warned when I joined them at the counter.

I cleared my throat, offering her an apologetic, sheepish look.

"You okay?" Jazz asked, watching me with raised brows. I just shrugged.

"Anyway…you handing out the wacky weed or what?" he inquired.

The shop owner didn't seem even slightly offended at the question. "This is an herbal remedies supply store. Not a medicinal marijuana distribution center."

"Are you suggesting that herbal supply stores wouldn't sell pot?" I asked skeptically.

She sighed, rolling her eyes and adjusting her glasses. "I'm saying it gets a bit old that everyone assumes X equals B. Marijuana is an herb, just not the kind I sell."

"Right…you just sell an array of _herbs_with hallucinogenic properties," I pointed out.

"What the hell is that?" Jazz asked, pointing at a plant that was moving in a pot behind the desk.

"That's Timmy," the shop owner said, beaming with pride. "He's a man-eater."

I had always been uneasy around Venus Flytraps. Plants were only supposed to move with the wind…plants that ate meat and moved on their own were just not natural.

"You have a pet plant?" Jazz asked dubiously.

She looked at him liked he had lost his mind.

"You have to excuse him," I told her. "He was traumatized by watching _Little__Shop__of__Horrors_ too much as a kid."

I grunted as Jazz kicked my shin with the tip of his cowboy boot.

"Look, detectives," the shop owner pressed, looking annoyed. "Did I break the law in some way that you want to tell me about?"

"Do you know any of these girls?" Jazz asked, laying out the photos of the victims' daughters from the case files while keeping his distance from Timmy.

The shop owner looked them over, nodding casually. "Yeah…they all come in here from time to time. They heard about the cream," she offered with a shrug.

"The cream?" I echoed.

"Yeah, it's a mixture of different cleansers and healers to help with the tattoos," she explained.

"Tattoos?" I asked, my eyes automatically glancing out the window towards _Fantasy__Ink._

"Yep…my crazy neighbor across the street tries to make a living out of them."

"All of these girls are under the age of eighteen," Jazz informed her, leaving the unspoken question hanging in the air between us.

She shrugged. "And you waited till you were twenty one to drink, I suppose?" she asked him sarcastically.

He laughed in response.

"The person responsible can lose their license for inking minors without permission from their parents," I said, getting the stick-in-the-mud look from both of them. "Did their parents ever find out about what was going on?"

"Don't ask me. All I do is sell the tattoo chick's cream. Frankly I'd be happy to see her ran out of town. This is the shittiest work ever," she complained. She held out her arm and I noticed a long patch of green ink running down to her wrist.

"What is that?"

"It's Timmy…or so she says," the shop owner grumbled. "Anyway…it took forever for the stupid thing to heal. My entire arm was swollen like a bee-sting for a week before I used the cream. That was the only way to get it back to normal in the end." She waved toward a shelf back toward the back and went to check out what was in this magical cream while Jazz continued to question her.

There was a tinkling of bells as the shop door opened.

"Hey, Nico," a familiar voice called from the door.

I bent down to look between the supplies on the various rows of shelves to get a peek of her. Isabella waved to the shop owner, turning in my direction with determination.

I panicked and knelt down to look at the array of toe-fungus cures.

_Well, this would never work…that would only inflame athletes foot…_

"Cullen? Seriously?" she whined when she all but tripped over me.

I looked up, feigning surprise. "Iz…what are you doing here?"

She glared down at me with her arms crossed over her chest. "Being _stalked_apparently. What are _you_still doing in Port Angeles?"

_Being__harassed,__apparently,_I thought to myself.

"Shopping for your birthday present," I teased, holding up a giant can of _Wart__Be__Gone._

"Oh gee…and that's what I was going to get you," she sneered.

"Isabella," Jazz greeted, stepping up behind her.

Iz cringed, reaching over me for a tub of the tat cream without saying anything else to us.

"What was that all about?" he whispered to me.

"Hang on," I told him, turning down the narrow row and walking up behind her as she paid for the cream.

I noticed that she had changed clothes though she still wore the oversized leather jacket. I acted on a hunch and lifted the back of the jacket without warning. She was wearing a high-rising tank top and low-cut jeans. In the small expanse of her skin that was on display, I caught sight of a freshly inked tattoo before her fist connected with my nose. I doubled over in pain as my brother laughed his butt off.

"What the hell is your problem, Cullen!" Iz shrieked in outrage.

I straightened up, seeing stars for a second. "What the hell is yours, Swan?" I yelled back. "Must you always punch first?"

"You're the one who practically undressed me without permission," she pointed out, fuming.

I blinked as the last wave of pain rushed through my skull. "Well, you're the one who got a tattoo last night," I accused.

"Well, well, well," Jazz said, stepping forward and sliding a handcuff smoothly over Iz's right wrist. "That just made you a person of interest," he told her.

Iz scowled, saying a quick goodbye to Nico and taking her cure-all cream with her as we dragged her outside.

"Talk, Swan," I barked when we were in the back alley, hidden away from the general public.

Iz shifted her gaze down the alley and back. "Here? Out in public, not twenty feet away from the place in question? It really amazes me that you two geniuses haven't died yet," she muttered with wry twist of her lips.

Jazz glared at her, taking great pleasure in pulling her by her handcuffed wrists to the Impala. We all climbed inside and he started up the car. I sat in the backseat next to Iz.

"I'll drive, you talk," Jazz told us.

"Are these entirely necessary?" she grumbled, holding the cuffs up to me.

I smiled. "Yes. You seem to have a problem with keeping your hands to yourself when you're alone with me," I teased.

"As if," she mumbled under her breath.

"So, Isabella, talk," I prompted. "I know you wouldn't willingly get that tattoo…which is god-awful by the way…without some reason. We have this case tracked down to that shop, teenage girls and this," I said holding up the tub of cream.

"Speaking of," Iz sighed, squirming slightly in her seat. "Can you…" Her voice trailed off and she seemed disgusted by the rest of her request.

"Can I what?" I asked feebly.

She released an aggravated sound and glared at me. "It has to be applied every hour or else the skin gets irritated. Can you…please…" she whispered. Her cheeks turned pink and she shifted her gaze out the window.

"Oh," I whispered when I realized what she was asking. "Sure."

She scooted around and I lifted the jacket up enough to get another look at the tattoo. It wasn't the tackiest ink I'd ever seen. In some ways it reminded me of the tattoos I had. Something in the way the outer lines of the tat were scrolled gave me the impression of sigils. On the whole it was a tasteful tattoo. It was the subject matter of the design that disgusted me.

"A wolf?" I asked, opening the tub and scooping out a dollop of the mixture with my finger.

"There's a limited amount of designs she'll let you choose from. I went with what looked the most…believable for my cover," she explained.

"Your cover?" Jazz picked up on her choice of words.

I was distracted by the feel of her silky, smooth skin as I rubbed the cream over the three inch snarling wolf. I resisted the urge to flick my finger between the wolf's eyes. Iz would probably find a way to punch me while handcuffed if I did that.

"Yeah…I came to the same conclusions you guys did. Of course I came to them first," she added under her breath. I applied the next layer of cream with less delicacy in response and she gasped.

"Sorry," I mumbled innocently.

"One of the girls told me about the tattoo place…after the three consecutive murders last week I…well I figured someone had to do something."

"Did Charlie know?" I asked, reluctantly finishing the application and lowering the jacket back down.

"Thanks," she whispered. "And, no. Dad doesn't know. He's…" she sighed, watching the forest pass by the window for a minute. "It hasn't been easy for him since we left Phoenix."

I recognized what she was doing immediately, having taken on that role many times as a child myself. On the one hand she hated what Charlie was doing, how he was acting. On the other she would make excuses for him until the end of time.

"He loves you, Iz," I promised, knowing exactly how she'd react. She huffed and rolled her eyes, just like I used to when Jasper promised me that Carlisle cared underneath all of his neglect.

"So…catch us up to speed," Jazz said.

"Where are we going?" I asked before Iz could continue.

"Just driving around, nowhere in mind. Why?" he shot me an annoyed look in the rearview mirror. "You got some place to be?"

"I see you two are still fighting like an old married couple," Iz teased.

Jazz snorted. "Gettin' laid about as often too," he offered without thinking.

I groaned, feeling the tips of my ears turning pink. Iz smiled and thankfully changed the subject.

"So…the case. I started noticing right around the time we moved to town that these weird things were happening. I narrowed it down to the tattoo parlor and when I told Jacob about it he suggested that I go in undercover."

Obviously she was giving us the _Cliff__Notes_ version. I bristled at the idea of Jacob telling her to put her life in danger like that.

"He just offered you up as bait then?" I spat.

Iz narrowed her eyes as she looked at me. "No. It just made sense that I be the one to go in since the profile was a teenage daughter under the age of eighteen. I had to rush it through this week though since…you know…it's almost the twentieth."

Of all the people in the world to share my birthday with I had always resented the fact that I had to share it with Little-Miss-Knows-It-All. It was strange to realize that we'd be in the same place on our birthday this year. I couldn't remember a single birthday that I'd spent with Iz.

_Correction, I will be long gone out of town before our birthday. I couldn't risk her getting hurt because of me._

"So what's up with that place? You said she had limited images to pick from?" Jazz asked. "Why's that?"

"Yeah…she made a point to say there're no special requests. She had a book of images. There were some pictures circled… the other pictures in her book were strange…like images from the books in my dad's study…Sigils?" she asked, and I nodded.

She nodded along with me and continued. "The place went in back in January but it's never open. You have to score a private meeting with her after hours and then she has to give you the go ahead to get inked. It costs too. She required two-hundred for the consultation and five-hundred for the actual ink."

"Where the hell did you get that kind of money?" I asked, amazed that she could just fork over seven hundred dollars for a con.

"From Jake…he's kind of the son of the Chief…they're pretty loaded."

_One more reason to hate the jerk._

"Anyway, I had my final meeting with her last night and she showed me the book. I only had a few minutes to select my design and then she got to work. It was strange…" Her eyes unfocused as she remembered the event.

"What's that?" I asked.

"I didn't feel pain like I expected to…I mean, not the normal pain that comes with getting a tattoo. It was like… I don't know, like she was pulling something out of me. And I'd almost swear she murmured something while she worked on me too."

"Like an incantation?" I guessed.

She nodded. "Yeah. Couldn't tell for sure, though. She played this screeching metal music as loud as possible. Nico had to come across the street and bang on the door to tell her to keep it down."

Jazz laughed. "Sounds like that waitress in Lone Pine."

His comment triggered a memory. The woman who let Iz into the building last night…

"Holy shit," I whispered.

"What?" Iz and Jazz asked in unison. I shot my eyes to meet Jazz's in the rearview mirror.

"Pull over," I told him.

We were on the outskirts of town, where civilization met wilderness. Jazz pulled the car over next the line of trees.

"What is it?" Iz asked.

"That chick in Lone Pine," I whispered. I jumped out of the car, pacing back and forth with the effort to not lose the thought that was just on the tip of my mind.

I looked up to find Tanya standing between two trees on the other side of the car. When I looked at her there wasn't anything but white noise in my head. I looked back at the worried expressions on Iz and Jasper's faces to help root me in reality.

_It's right there…what is it…_

"Eddie?" Jazz asked, walking toward me.

I looked back at Tanya again and she smiled at me. Like the cat that ate the canary. I couldn't look away from her. I couldn't remember what I was trying to say.

"Edward?" I could hear Isabella asking from far away.

I started to walk to Tanya but suddenly she disappeared. The feel of Isabella's hand gently resting against my cheek replaced her absence.

"Edward?" Iz repeated.

I looked back at her, so confused. Her brown eyes drew me back as if I was waking from a dream.

"What the hell is happening to him?" she asked, thankfully not removing her eyes from mine.

"I was kind of hoping your dad could help us on that one…well, I think he has in some ways," Jazz told her.

I felt like an idiot but I couldn't do anything but stare into Bella's eyes…

_Bella? No…Iz. Who's Bella?_

"Edward?" she echoed. When I didn't respond she resorted to the typical Iz method of getting my attention.

She drew her hand back from my cheek and smacked it back quickly. I stumbled back from the force of her slap, feeling totally awake.

"Shit," I cursed as I rubbed my jaw. "Do you take classes in self defense or something?" I complained.

She smirked. "A girl doesn't grow up with Charlie Swan as a dad and not learn a thing or two about self defense. He spent my entire freshman year in high school hiding around the house for sneak attack trainings."

"You wanna explain that little space cadet moment you just had?" Jazz asked.

With Tanya gone the haze that had blocked my memory was clear, almost like when I was in Alaska.

"Cris…that girl from Lone Pine. She's the one running the tattoo parlor. I recognized her last night…only…well I…I sort of recognized her…" I tried to explain it but couldn't come up with the right words.

"Don't hurt yourself, cupcake," Jazz teased me. "Lone Pine…man, that was almost seven months ago. That chick died, didn't she? I distinctly remember a dismembered body and a nameplate…"

The events around that afternoon weren't the sharpest in my memory.

"That's when I started seeing her…" I whispered. Lone Pine is where Tanya first appeared…where I first stopped taking the pills…

"Edward," Iz whispered, cupping my face between her hands again. Some strange kind of peace settled over me when she touched me like that. I wanted to push her away, but I couldn't.

"Who is Cris?" she asked.

"She was our waitress at this truck-stop town in California. She was taken by this…Mountain devil…it killed her," I explained.

"But apparently she's not as dead as we thought," Jazz added wryly.

"Mountain devil?" Iz asked.

I nodded. I shuddered as I remembered the screech of that creature's cries.

"The chick that inked me last night had a tattoo of a mountain devil on her arm…battle scar?" Iz guessed.

"I remember…Cris had the same tattoo…I pointed it out at the diner when we first met her," I said. "Huh, I had forgotten that until now."

"Isn't it a tad strange to have a tattoo of the same monster that killed her?" Iz asked.

"That chick had hardcore hoodoo all up and down her arms," Jazz said. "She gave me the damn creeps from the minute she took our order. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that damn thing came to life or something."

He laughed, just as a thought occurred to me.

"That's it," I said.

"What?" Iz asked.

"Wolf!" Jazz shouted.

"That's not funny," Isabella complained.

"You're right…it's snarling," Jazz said, pulling out his gun and backing toward the Impala.

I looked up to find a massive brown wolf standing at the edge of the trees. Its teeth were bare as it growled in our direction.

"I've seen that wolf," I commented offhandedly.

"Well then, Eddie, why don't you buy it a drink while we run away," Jazz suggested.

Iz stood frozen in front of me as she looked at the wolf.

"Run," I warned her, backing away slowly myself.

She just kept staring at the wolf as if she was in a trance.

"Iz," I said, putting my hands on her shoulders to shake her awake.

The wolf did not like me touching her, it leapt towards us. I shoved Iz out of the way and threw my arms up in front of me in defense. I yelled when I felt the shock of pain in my arm as the wolf clamped its teeth down. The force of the attack knocked me to the ground with the weight of the wolf squeezing the air from my lungs.

"Eddie!" Jazz shouted, discharging his gun at the animal.

The wolf released me, howling in pain and running off into the forest.

"Where the hell did that come from?" Jazz asked, helping me to my feet.

I cradled my arm to my chest, amazed that it was still attached after all of that.

"Get me to a computer," I responded breathlessly. "We need to check out that tattoo parlor…"

"I have to make sure that I actually hit that thing," he told me. "Iz, take him home."

"Okay," she murmured softly, sliding her arms around my waist. "Um…Jasper?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you have…um…silver bullets?" she asked cryptically.

"I think so, in the trunk, why?"

She didn't say anything but realization dawned in his eyes and he retrieved the bullets before tossing the keys to the Impala to Iz.

She helped me into the car and hissed when she bumped my arm. She was too distracted to offer a sarcastic comment about me being a baby.

"Was that him?" I asked as she drove us back to her place.

She shrugged.

"Has he ever…changed around you?"

She sighed as she parked the car in her driveway. "Edward, do you honestly believe I'd warn your brother how to kill my boyfriend?"

I stared at her for a moment with a vacant expression.

"A guy can hope," I whispered to myself after she got out of the car.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Iz PoV**

"Typical," I mumbled as Charlie snored from the recliner in the corner of the living room. I awkwardly waved Edward into the house, hating how familiar it felt to have him and his brother around once more.

I led him to the kitchen and pulled out the emergency kit from under the sink.

"Let me see your arm," I prompted. I wanted to get this over and done as quickly as possible. I was finally enjoying my life here in the eternally rainy North West. I wanted to get back to living said life.

"You're fine," I determined after inspecting the red marks on his arms. "The skin wasn't even broken."

From the way he'd been moaning like a wuss in the car I figured he might need stitches. There was going to be a bruise but that was about it.

_Big baby._

"So…when the wolf showed up you seemed…distracted by something. What the hell was that all about?" he asked dubiously.

I gritted my teeth at the unspoken accusation. Edward thought that that was Jake in the woods. It wasn't. I had seen Jake in wolf form a few times. That wolf today looked nothing like a werewolf. It was just a big wolf.

Regardless of whether the wolf was or was not an acquaintance of mine, what I didn't appreciate was the tone of his question.

"What? Like I had something to do with this?" I snapped back.

A voice in the back of my head warned me that I was rising to his bait yet again, but I didn't care. I was tired of Mr. Holier-Than-Thou looking down on me.

"Well…it was a wolf," he pointed out. "One that I know I've seen before…"

"I don't have ownership over all wolves in creation, Cullen," I argued. "And stop bitching about Jake and his friends. They are nice guys. He's a nice guy."

"He's a punk," he informed me with that oh-poor-little-Isabella-let-me-clue-you-in-on-the-ways-of-the-world air of his.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh really, and you know this because…"

_Because__I__'__m__Edward__Cullen__and__I__know__everything,_I mocked in my head.

"He's been rude enough to me."

"When?" I couldn't even remember a time that either of them had spoken to each other.

"He just has, okay, you wouldn't know because you were…otherwise occupied."

His lips twisted with disgust and resisted the urge to punch him in the face.

"Were you _spying_on me, Cullen? You watch me alone with my boyfriend and you call him the creep?" My voice raised two octaves as I yelled at him.

God help me, I actually blushed at the thought of Edward watching me make out with Jake. I mostly only did that stuff to get Dad's panties in a twist. I didn't know how I felt about Mr. Sulks-a-lot getting an eyeful of it.

"No, I wasn't spying. I was looking out a window and the two of you were practically fucking in the street!" he shouted, matching the anger that was flaring in me.

_That's it. You've done it, buddy._

"If you don't like what you see then don't fucking look!"

"Well that's almost impossible since you two refuse to stop doing it in public! A gentleman would want privacy with his date."

"Oh please," I mocked with disdain dripping from my tongue. "What the hell do you know about being a gentleman? You've only ever dated one girl. And we all know how well you treated her."

Edward's head snapped back like I had taken a swing at him. The hurt that washed over his face should have made me regret what I said, but I was too pissed to care.

"You don't know what you're talking about," he informed me with threateningly hushed tone.

"I know enough. And more importantly I know Jake. Keep your damn insulting assumptions to yourself."

I turned, leaning my hands against the counter to transfer the raw anger I was feeling.

_How dare he…_

"I'm sorry, Iz," he said softly. I could hear the truth to his words in the tone of his voice.

"Why is it so hard for you to just be happy for me?" I asked, hating that he made me feel inferior when he commented on my life like that_._

"I am happy for you. I'm happy to see you happy…I don't believe he'll make you happy," he rambled like an idiot.

I tapped my fingers on the counter. I didn't have a response to that. We stood there for some time, not talking.

"Were you happy?" I asked, breaking the silence to hopefully even the playing field. He knew my vulnerabilities; I had to guess at his. "With that girl…um…Tanya? Did she make you happy?"

He was so quiet I thought he might have left the room. When I looked over at him I saw the tear that slipped down his cheek just before he wiped it away.

"I was, but…it's not meant to be." He morosely shrugged.

"What's not mean to be?" I asked, unconsciously stepping closer to him. For the second time today I was giving into some protective streak that I didn't even realize I had for this guy. If I didn't know better I would almost guess my mom was still hanging around in my heart. It ached to see Edward looked so hurt…so lost.

"Cullens aren't meant to be happy. I don't know why we even bother trying to find happiness. There's always something else waiting around the corner," he whined. "Carlisle should have never gone looking for me…My mom should have stayed with me…"

"Edward," I interrupted casually, smirking a bit at the shocked expression that crossed his face. "Stop whining, please."

He pouted but thankfully shut up.

"You're not the only kid who grew up without a mom to take care of you, you know," I reminded him.

"At least you knew your mom," he replied with a defeated voice.

"Yeah…too well actually. Try spending your entire puberty with your mother's voice in your head. Wanting to kiss boys and hearing my mother's internal commentary was no picnic."

An awkward moment of silence passed between us as we both remembered a time only a few months ago where my mom had turned the tables on my desires. As memory served Edward was enjoying that kiss we shared in my old attic too. I needed a distraction before I started blushing.

"You know," I said, walking back over to the counter and dipping my finger into the frosting on the side of the lemon flavored cake.

"I make a cake every year. Dad used to scold me for making my own birthday cake but the one time he tried we both agreed that I should really be the one to do all the baking. I never had the heart to tell him why I baked the cake, though."

Edward stood off to the side, watching me with those damn piercing, green eyes of his. His stare was intense regardless of what he was looking at but when he focused his eyes on me I couldn't help but feel flustered.

"Why did you?" he asked quietly.

I just gave him my smirk full of secrets.

He laughed, turning to lean against the counter next to me.

"Heaven forbid you ever admit you did something nice for me," he teased. "So is it good?"

The intensity of his glance grew stronger with the lack of distance between us. I felt my cheeks flush without my consent for such a physical reaction to this man. I couldn't speak. All I could do was stupidly hold my frosting covered finger out in invitation.

He leaned forward slowly, keeping me entranced by his wicked green eyes. I flinched slightly when his fingers closed around my wrist to hold my hand in place. There was a tingle where his skin touched mine. I couldn't fully appreciate the sensation before his lips enveloped my finger.

My brain refused to function while my finger was sucked into Edward's hot, wet mouth. It was probably only a matter of minutes but it felt like he took hours to taste the frosting. I couldn't help but think that he tasted me too. His tongue lapped against my trapped finger, making all those girlie things happen to my traitorous body. My heart fluttered and my knees went wobbly. I'm certain my mouth hung open and there might have even been a slight whimper that escaped me.

Edward was either actually enough of a gentleman to not mention it or he was going to hold out for the right time to tease me about it, but when he finally released me he just winked without making fun of my reaction.

"Delicious," he whispered.

I cleared my throat, hoping that would also clear my head.

"Bells, you have a visitor," Dad called from the living room.

I had forgotten we weren't alone in the house. The stain on my cheeks grew darker as I realized how humiliating it would have been for Jasper or, saints above, my father to walk in on the exchange that we'd just had.

"I've gotta…um…" I stammered.

Edward nodded, smiling slyly and motioning for me to lead the way out of the kitchen. I gave him one last glance over my shoulder and saw him dipping his finger into the frosting. I licked my lips absently as he brought his finger to his lips.

Something was stirring inside of me at the sight of him licking his own finger. A flash of longing and jealously that I couldn't return the favor. I blanched and squeaked in retreat when I realized he was looking at me.

The chuckle that followed me out of the kitchen told me he hadn't lost his knack for reading my thoughts.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"Jake," I greeted him at the door.

"Izzy, I thought you were hurt. You're okay, right? The guys said something attacked you…"

I couldn't get a response out before he threw the screen door open and pulled me into a crushing hug. He ran his hands all over my body to make sure I was okay. Confusion was welling inside of me after what I had just experienced in the kitchen. I felt sort of violated and on display as he touched me.

_Damn__you,__Edward__Cullen,_I mentally grumbled.

"Please tell me you're okay," Jake pleaded, cupping my face between his hands and staring into my eyes for confirmation. His eyes were black, like whirlpools at the deep end of a lake. His stare was no less intense than that of the green eyes that had watched me moments ago but I didn't feel the same physical reaction to his presence as I had Edward's.

_Damn, damn…double damn._

"Um…" I tried to find my voice. "Yes…we're…I'm fine," I assured him, feeling loopy in the head.

"We?" he echoed with a menacingly low voice. "You were with _him,_weren't you?" His words were like an accusation of some debauched act.

I sobered at that realization.

For the second time in the span of less than half an hour I was balling my fists and ready to put macho male insecurity in its place.

"When I need your permission to see whoever and do whatever I chose to do, Satan will be selling snow cones, Jacob Black."

Jake looked ready to bite my head off. His jaw clenched and unclenched as his eyes bore straight through me.

I swallowed nervously. I had never felt like I was in danger around Jacob or his pack. They were all very powerful young men but I had never felt anything but protected around them. I didn't believe that he would hurt me but there was a twinge of fear that tickled my stomach as he glared at me silently.

He released me and took a step back. "I didn't mean it that way, Izzy. I'm…I'm sorry, okay? I was just afraid that you were hurt. He seems to put you in danger a lot…that's all I meant to say."

I couldn't argue with that. It was almost word for word what I had told Edward just last night.

"I know, Jake," I said, sliding my hands up his chest. His muscles flexed under my touch.

I could hear Dad not so subtly clear his throat from the living room behind me. I rolled my eyes while Jake smirked down at me.

He was always up for a little game of 'aggravate the parents'.

"Be good," I mouthed.

"Come on in, Jake," I said, waving him toward the couch and daring Charlie to throw him out.

"Charlie," he greeted my dad as he took his seat. Dad squared his shoulders, trying to sit taller than Jake in his recliner across the room.

The naked male insecurity floating through the air was suffocating. I sat next to Jake, praying that Edward stayed in the kitchen.

_Please__let__him__eat__that__entire__cake__and__pass__out__in__a__sugar__coma,_ I pleaded. I knew Jake could smell him. He had educated me a lot about the whole wolf-senses thing. But it would be best if Edward didn't realize Jake was here.

"So who was it?" the redheaded idiot asked as he entered the room a second later, still licking frosting from his fingers.

I stiffened at the sound of his voice, my heart beating faster at the sight of his tongue lapping up the last of the frosting.

_What in the hell is wrong with me today?_

My reaction didn't go unnoticed from the half-wolf boy sitting next to me.

"It's Jake…you remember Jake?…Uh…Jake you remember Edward?" I babbled like some brainless twit.

Charlie watched me with raised eyebrows and I internally groaned. I could feel my cheeks turning red and I resisted the urge to fan myself for fresh air.

_Men._

"Oh," Edward said quietly. He nodded a hello to Jake, going back to looking like that lost little puppy dog that he had been after his freak out in the woods.

"Cullen," Jake replied in a clipped tone.

I nudged him with my elbow which only gained me a glare in response.

_For fuck's sake, do I need to pull out rulers or some shit…_

"Well, that was a colossal waste of time," Jasper said as he entered the front door. He stopped short when he saw the crowd gathered in the room.

My lack of Y chromosomes made me uneasy in the presence of so much testosterone.

"What's that?" I asked, not bothering to introduce Jake to Jasper.

Jazz narrowed his eyes at my boyfriend and quickly glanced at his brother before looking at me.

"Someone tipped off the tattoo artist. She's long gone. Shop's cleared out. I did manage to find this," he said, holding up the book full of images that she had showed me last night.

"How the hell did that happen?" Edward asked, reaching for the book.

"We told her to leave," Jake announced calmly.

I gaped at him. "You did what?" I asked.

He shrugged, which pissed me off. It meant it was "Pack business" and I wasn't supposed to push any further.

_Great,_I thought._I__now__have__a__three__inch__tattoo__of__a__wolf__above__my__ass__crack__for__nothing_.

"And…why did you do that?" Edward inquired, glancing up from the book with look that matched my mood.

"There's a way we handle things up here, Cullen," Jake explained. "Not all creatures have to be killed."

"Creatures?" Jazz echoed. "You saying that chick…is a thing? And what the hell is going on?"

"I'd like to know that too," Dad finally chimed in.

"The tattoos," Edward started. "The girl…Cris, she had a tattoo of her arm of this creature that attacked us when we were passing through California back in January. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but after what happened today…"

"What happened today?" Dad asked, his features scrunched with worry.

Edward nervously looked between my dad and me and I nodded, giving him the okay to tell Charlie what I did.

"Um…we were attacked by Iz's tattoo."

"Say what?" Jazz asked.

"You have a tattoo!" Dad bellowed, jumping to his feet with the vein in his forehead about ready to burst.

"I'm…well I'll be eighteen in three days," I defended. "I'm old enough…"

"Young lady…you are so…You…Go to your room!" he shouted.

"Charlie, it's okay," Jake said, raising his hands and standing. "She did it to find out more about this case…"

I cringed, slapping my hand across my eyes. You never bring up spook hunting and me to Charlie. I'd be lucky if he didn't handcuff me to my bed for the next three years of my life after this.

"You knew about this!" he yelled, advancing on the pack leader. "You get the hell out of my house! No one uses my daughter as bait. You good for nothing…mangy…"

"Dad!" I screamed, getting his attention and joining them on my feet. "I chose to get the tattoo…I did it to help end these murders…come on…it's no worse than anything you guys would do for a case," I argued.

"We'll talk about this later, Isabella," Dad, he informed me with his I'm-disappointed-in-you voice.

I nodded. "Jake, you should go," I mumbled.

"Hang on," Jasper said. "First you're gonna explain to us why you just politely asked this monster to leave town."

"We assessed the threat and it was best to ask her to leave peacefully," Jake explained casually.

"You assessed the threat?" Edward repeated in disbelief. "Twelve people are dead because of this thing…if it is the same person that we met up with in California…God knows how many others she's killed. How could you just release her back into the world?"

"Because she's no longer in our territory."

A strange sensation shivered down my spine when Jake said that. I didn't know what to say exactly but I knew I couldn't support what he did.

"I think my dad's right, Jacob," I said, detached from any emotion I might have toward him. "You need to leave."

Jake looked at me with wounded eyes but took the hint.

I pressed my hands to my cheeks to staunch the embarrassment that I felt in his absence.

"The Pack is sort of an unofficial police force up here," Charlie explained meekly. "They operate on a need to know basis."

The boys nodded. Edward watched me with those damn eyes of his. I felt like he could see straight through the layers of protection that I had meticulously built up.

"Eddie?" Jazz asked, breaking the spell of our moment.

Edward blinked and looked at his brother.

"What's going on?"

"Well…you were right. It's hoodoo, really old…really creepy stuff. Check these out." He handed Jazz the book opened to the page of tattoo choices.

"Son of a bitch," Jazz cursed.

"What it is?" Dad asked.

"Oh…just the beasties that have been committing crimes around town. Hook man…Ghosts…Arachne…you name it, we saw a body in the morgue yesterday that fell victim to it. And apparently the girls who paid to get these tattoos were carriers without even knowing it," Jasper explained.

"Can I see your tattoo?" Edward asked me.

I didn't see the point of modesty or even privacy at this point. I took off Jake's jacket and straddled a chair at the kitchen table.

I jumped slightly when I felt Edward's fingers on my back. That tingling sensation that I had felt earlier returned. I bit my lip from sighing in pleasure.

"See?" he asked. I heard Jazz make a noise in agreement.

"What were you thinking right before the wolf appeared in the woods?" Edward asked.

"Nothing," I said, thinking back to that moment. "I was worried about you…we were talking about the mountain devil…wait…" I stopped, taking a deep breath and hoping there wouldn't be a repeat performance. "You said "that's it" and then the wolf appeared, right?" I asked Edward.

He nodded.

"For…like a second…I saw the wolf in my mind. I pictured it…standing in the woods looking down on us and then…"

"Poof," Jazz said.

"How does that work?" Charlie asked, yanking the book from Edward's hands.

_Apparently he's finally interested enough to invest himself in this matter._

"It's an ancient hoodoo practice. Sort of like…uh…witches and their familiars. It was a way to call forth dark magic in a pinch. The host offers up consent for the creature to live…within its flesh and a blood sacrifice is made. Tattoos are a brilliant scheme, actually. It's all there. Consent, blood offering… you said you even thought she said something…like an incantation before she started right? I'd say she doesn't have direct control over the creatures but these are definitely not your average inked designs. Hell…with a bit of practice you could probably control the wolf."

"So…what does that mean?" I asked, uneasy with the thought that I had a monster living on my skin.

"It means all of you girls that got tattoos are going to have to learn to control your thoughts. Charlie?" Edward asked.

Dad nodded. "I'm on it."

"On what?" I asked.

"We need to read up on this, Bells. Figure out how to control it before more murders happen."

"It's a pretty ingenious plan. I have to give her that," Edward mumbled.

"Right," Jasper added, his voice thick with sarcasm. "And now she's just…back out there. Who knows where she is by now."

My stomach flip-flopped at the thought.

"I can't believe they just let her go," I whispered. It seemed so unlike Jacob to just let evil exist like that, especially since he went on and on about honor and duty.

"Maybe he did it because he's such a nice guy," Edward offered with disdain as he sat down across from me at the table.

I glared at him. He would take my words and twist them around to his liking.

"He is a nice guy," I mumbled softly.

"Well…this is awkward," Jazz muttered. "What do we do now?"

Edward sighed. "Follow her? We can go check out the shop…maybe even see if there are any clues at the herb place with that cream. We can't let her continue to hurt people."

The conviction in Edward's voice combined with the determination in his bright green eyes did weird things to my body. Weird in the sense that Edward Cullen should never be the one to make me feel that way.

"Looks like we'll be out of your hair before your birthday," Edward offered, with a teasing turn of his lips.

I rolled my eyes, shoving my moment of vulnerability down under a cynical mask. "Thank God," I sighed.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Edward PoV**

"There're a few letters on the desk…post marked from Texas," Jazz said, rummaging through the remainder of papers on the desk in the office.

"All this work…money…trouble…What is the motive here?" I mumbled, trying to riddle it out.

"Well…aren't you the one who told me that sometimes monsters do this shit for giggles?"

I released a frustrated laugh. "I suppose. It just seems…too much of a coincidence. We meet this chick in California and not six months later she's set up here? If I didn't know better I'd say she met up with that psychic that sent the note card to Charlie."

"What if she did?" he asked suddenly.

"Come on," I laughed off the notion. "Jazz, you can't be serious?"

"Think about it, Eddie. She was waiting for us in a town that we just happened to pass through. Right place, right time. And then to show up here…hell, for all we know the MO was on purpose. Maybe she was looking for Iz? Looking for Charlie Swan…"

"Why not just use a phone book?" I replied sarcastically.

"Because now she's marked."

I shook off the theory. It was dumb. I was the one all of these monsters were after. What would be the purpose behind finding Isabella?

"She probably just wanted to fuck with them. She seemed to enjoy the mind games back in Lone Pine…the haunted traveler and all that. I'm sure that's all there is to it."

Jasper watched me for a moment in a calm, almost statue like way.

"You wanna talk about the pills?" he asked.

I shrugged, feeling the weight of the guilt and shame crush the air from my lungs.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, unable to look at him.

"You should be apologizing to the car and not to me," he offered dryly.

I nodded. "I know. I never asked him to do that…"

"Oh, fuck off, Eddie," he told me. "Family is everything. That's rule number one. It's the most important rule that he has. It's the most important concept he drilled into our heads. The man adopted us. He protected us. He took care of us. He loved us," he defended. "You don't have to be told to die for someone you love. You just do it, because…"

"It's what's right," I finished.

"We didn't know. That's on him," Jazz said, waving toward the front window. "But we have a very real problem creeping up on us now."

I nodded. "What do you remember about Erebos? Is there any way for us to take him on?"

Jasper's face drained of color. His eyes grew glassy and he wrung his hands nervously. "No."

"What do we do, Jazz?" I was out of options. Out of ideas. I could read every book on the subject and still be lost in that moment.

"We hunt," he said, holding up the envelope with the address in Texas.

"What about Nico's shop?" I asked as we exited through the back door.

"I don't really feel the need to see the man-eater," he joked.

I snorted. "Yeah…she probably doesn't know anything about it anyway."

"Do we need to stop by the Swans' on the way out of town?" he asked once we were inside the Impala.

I shook my head casually even though inside I was screaming _yes_.

I wanted to see her one last time before we set out on the road. To tease her about something and watch those cheeks turn pink. To wish her happy birthday for once…share a slice of our birthday cake.

But that wasn't meant to be.

"Texas?" I asked.

"Texas," he agreed.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Cris PoV**

I paced along the treaty line and glared at the noiseless woods.

"Insolent child," I huffed in frustration.

"Relax," Nico said, walking through the brush. "I found the house and she was all too willing to speak with me. I know enough of her to make it believable," she promised. "You have her blood?"

I nodded, handing her the vial. "How ironic that she willingly walked into that net."

Nico smiled. "Irony had nothing to do with it. Had Alice not turned into such a little turncoat we would have found the girl sooner."

"Are we sure she's truly the one?" I asked, knowing that falsely alerting the masters would be unwise.

Nico opened the vial, smelling the blood before swallowing the contents. "Most definitely. They could almost be the same person. She's protected…her mother's sacrifice disguised it perfectly but it's there. She's meant for him."

"And yet we can not touch her," I growled.

"The wolves are a frustration," she agreed. "But first things first. We need to find the boy."

I smiled, flashing her a knowing look. "That, my dear is the easy part."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Charlie PoV (June 20th, 1992)**

"_Would you like to meet your Bella, Edward?" a very groggy Renee asked. _

_She was lying in her hospital bed, her hair matted to her head and exhaustion draining the color from her face. She'd never looked more beautiful though. _

_Edward nodded, walking cautiously towards her bed. _

_His birthday party had been cut short when Renee's water broke. Only a handful of hours later we were all sitting around her hospital bed cooing over the most beautiful baby girl ever to be born._

_My Isabella. _

"_We named her Isabella, because of you," Renee told him. _

_Edward watched her with those big green eyes of his, looking unsure of what to do next. Renee shifted the blanket that was tucked around Isabella's face. My baby girl wiggled and squirmed, making soft noises that made my heart ache to hear._

"_Bella," Edward whispered again. The way he looked at her sent an uneasy shiver down my spine. _

_It was the damnedest thing to see, that little kid staring at my baby girl like she was the only thing in the world. I felt like I was prying into their privacy or some ridiculous thing like that. _

"_Edward," Carlisle barked from the suddenly opened doorway. I hadn't heard him come in, being too caught up in the moment that his son was having with my daughter._

_I cleared my throat. "Hey there, Blondie," I greeted him._

_His ice blue eyes bounced to my face in aggravation. If I hadn't known Carlisle as well as I did I might have taken offense to his greeting. _

"_Charlie, Renee, congratulations," he said, almost reluctantly. "Edward, it's time to go." With that he turned on his heel and left the room._

_The two year old scurried in a panic to catch up with his detached father without saying goodbye._

"_He's such a nice boy," Renee said softly once we were alone. I could see that what little energy she had was fading quick. I leaned down to kiss her forehead, lifting little Isabella out of her arms as her eyes closed._

"_Sleep now, sweetheart," I told her. _

_I sat in the rocking chair in the corner of her room, holding my baby girl and dreaming of the bright future ahead._

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**A/N: **

**Yes, I know that Bella's birthday is September 13th in the books. Funnily enough, this isn't the books. **

**For creature descriptions check out SuperWiki- Supernaturalwiki(dot)com. Most of the monsters discussed in these chapters are directly taken from the episodes and lore found on that site. **

**Seriously, there has to be someone with theories…or even questions…come on. **


	7. Chapter 6: June 20th, 2010

**A/N: Thanks for reading.**

**Thanks to my prereaders and my beta!**

**Twilight and Supernatural are owned by someone other than me. But boy, do I love to pretend.**

**This fic is rated M because in this chapter we'll be seeing some sex. **

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"I make a rich woman beg,  
>I'll make a good woman steal,<br>I'll make an old woman blush,  
>And make a young girl squeal."<p>

(_Bad__to__the__Bone_, George Thorogood)

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Then:**

**(February 5th, 1995)**

"_Check it out! It's Jazz, the spaz!" that fat-assed douche, Mike Newton, yelled. His group of cronies laughed at his pitiful taunt. _

The guy has no originality, _I__thought._

_I cringed at the nasal pitch of Newton's voice. I couldn't understand how pricks like him ended up in places like this. Mike was a whiny mama's boy. You didn't end up that way because you were raised in homes like I was. Nobody babied you around here._

"_At least my mom didn't ditch my ass on the curb like a stray cat," I mumbled. _

_I'll admit it, freely; when Sister Mary Alice would be giving me my usual morning detention I would have no shame in telling her that I only said it to goad that asshat into a fight. _

_Bring it on. I had two hands and as far as I was concerned that was ten reasons for tubby to turn tail and burn bacon right then and there. _

"_What the hell did you just say to me?" the walking-talking Hostess snack asked._

"_I said your parents gave you up because you talk like that annoying Nanny with the big hair on TV."_

_I let him have the first swing. I could've dodged it. It wasn't like Mike was gifted in throwing punches. Throwing his head back to down some Twinkies sure, but not boxing. _

_He took the easy hit by sending a weak ass punch toward my face that missed and landed on my shoulder instead. _

"_Really?" I taunted in disbelief. "Weak sauce, man." _

_Mike shot me a glare and I used it as a bulls-eye. I sent a hard, fast jab to his nose, making it bleed on contact. _

_It was all over from there. _

_Once the first hit connected, I was gone. A dark cloud of rage rumbled over me like a storm moving in. _

_My arms snapped back and flew forward in an alternating blur of punishment. I didn't give a crap why I wanted to hit him. All I knew was that I wanted it more than anything else. My knuckles were coated in blood that was oozing from his face. Mike fell to the ground in a puddle of piss and blubbering pleas for me to stop. _

_I just kept swinging. _

_Kids huddled around us. I had no doubt the nuns were starting to swarm in. I could care less, though. Mike was totally unconscious, his head lulling back with each blow from my fist. _

_Then all at once it stopped. _

_My arm was caught mid-punch, still raised above my head. I looked over my shoulder to find Sister Mary Alice standing behind me, her hand wrapped around my arm to keep me from permanently rearranging Mike's face._

"_Jasper," she sighed. She put her hands on my shoulders and turned me away from the fight, leading me back to her office in the main building. _

_The blackness that had clouded my vision disappeared the minute she said my name. The anger that had surged through me was starting to fade too. I looked back at the defeated blond idiot. _

_He wasn't worth another minute of my time._

_She didn't say anything to me as we walked. She just silently led me along. _

_Once we were in her office, she asked me to take a seat. I slouched down into the chair right in front of her desk. _

"_Jasper," she started with a quiet voice. I'd always liked the sound of Sister Mary Alice's voice. It was probably the closest thing to the sound a mother's voice that I would ever have. She was, after all, the one who found me on the doorstep the night I was delivered to the orphanage ten years ago._

"_I'm sorry," I offered quickly and without any prompting for an apology. I really was sorry. I didn't know how to explain my rage. Or even my desire to fight. My emotions always got the better of me._

_Sister Mary Alice offered me a small, perceptive smile. "I know you are. Would you like to tell me what's wrong?" _

_I just lifted my shoulders and dropped them. "I got nothing," I offered flatly._

_Sister Mary Alice's eyes narrowed as they watched me. Then her eyes seemed to focus through me, like she was seeing something that wasn't there._

"_You don't know how wrong you are about that," she said._

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Now:**

**(June 19th, 2010)**

**Lesson****Six:**Confidence

**Jazz PoV: (Houston, Texas)**

The wheels screeched as I slammed on the breaks to make the hairpin turn for the exit.

"What the hell are those things?" I yelled.

Edward leaned out the passenger side window to fire off a few rounds from the shotgun.

He jumped back in. "Well…they're not ghosts," he offered just before another crash sounded from the back bumper. The Impala fishtailed wildly.

"Shit!" I shouted, flooring the gas as for it was worth once we straightened out.

"Take the turn off here," Edward suggested. "It will lead us away from the city…less people…"

"Maybe being around people will encourage these things to back off," I argued as we neared the fork in the road.

The steering wheel swerved to the left when we reached the crossroads.

"Stop trying to drive!" I shouted, trying to force the steering wheel in the other direction.

"I don't think you're gonna win this one," Edward warned. "Just let him drive…here, I think they're coming back…"

I turned to look at my brother just as three things happened simultaneously. Dad swerved the car to the left. The creatures that were after us slammed into the right side of the car and suddenly everything was upside down.

I didn't feel the car hit the ground. I was knocked unconscious the second my forehead hit the steering wheel as the Impala flipped through the air.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

I came to with a bright light shining directly into my eyes.

"Edward?" I croaked.

"Is your name Edward?" a voice asked from the other side of the light.

I tried to shake my head from side to side in response but couldn't.

"What's your name?" the voice asked.

"Jasper," I rasped. "Jasper…my name is Jasper." It hurt to talk. It hurt to breathe. I clung to the sound of the voice beyond the light to stay awake.

"Jasper, I need you to look at me. Do you remember where you are?"

I tried to focus on whoever was talking, but I couldn't see anything but the bright light. I blinked my eyes, trying to clear them. Still nothing.

"Texas…driving…the car…" My response was delayed only by the effort it took to speak. I remembered the accident in perfect detail.

"They had to cut you out of the car. Do you remember who was with you in the car?" the voice prompted.

_They had to…What? Dad? What the hell happened to the car? _

"Jasper, do you remember who was in the car with you?" the voice repeated.

"My brother…Edward," I answered, still distracted by the fact that my dad was lying in pieces somewhere.

"The other one's name is Edward," the voice shouted to someone else.

"Jasper," the voice said, drawing me back from the lull of unconsciousness.

"Jasper, I need you to stay with me. You've been in a car accident. You've been brought to St. Marcus Hospital. Can you repeat what I just said back to me?"

"Car wreck, St. Marcus…how bad does it look, Doc?" I asked. I heard a countdown from three to one and groaned when I was lifted and moved to another flat, uncomfortable surface.

"You're going to be okay, Jasper," the voice promised. "Just stay with me."

"What about Edward?" I asked. I was starting to see spots, blotches of color around the bright light. That's when it hit me. The noise. The pain. The sights… It was chaos and my body wanted to just shut down to make it stop.

"Edward!" I shouted.

"Stay with us, Jasper. Just stay with us."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"Well, you kept me waiting long enough," a voice informed me.

My eyes were still shut but I was awake. My head felt like a semi had slammed into it. I did a quick body check, wiggling all toes and fingers and such. I felt like a train wreck but otherwise I was okay.

"Where's my brother?" I asked keeping my lids lowered. My throat was scratchy and my mouth felt like a wadded up sock was stuffed into it.

"I drive all this way to say hi and you can't even give me the courtesy to look at me?" the voice asked in a teasing tone. "Jasper Whitlock, I _know_you were raised with manners."

_There__'__s__only__one__person__who__knows__my__real__name._

"Sister Mary Alice?" I opened my eyes to see my former guardian smiling from a chair in the corner.

"Ah, there are the blue eyes I remember so well," she said, winking at me.

I was stunned to see her just sitting there like I had invited her over for Sunday lunch or something. She looked good; for an old lady that is. She was wearing her habit, the same sharp black and white pressed lines as I remembered as a kid. For the most part she looked exactly the same but there were more lines around her eyes that creased when she smiled. There was also a hint of grey creeping into the few bangs that peeked out from under her wimple.

She didn't move to stand up and walk closer to the bed. I didn't mind that so much. I liked my personal space bubble intact.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked. My eyes bugged out when I realized what I'd said.

"Oh…uh…bless me or whatever…what brings you by the hospital?…Miss…Um…Sister…Mary Alice…Ma'am," I fumbled my words around like a damn ping-pong ball.

She laughed at my awkward save from blasphemy and shook her head. "My, you haven't changed a bit, have you?"

"I'm taller," I grumbled, smiling as she laughed again.

"I envy you that," she said, finally standing to walk to the end of my bed.

_Holy__crap,__she__is__short._ I had forgotten how petite she was, standing at only around four-foot ten.

"I remember you taller," I told her.

"You were ten," she reminded me. "The whole world was bigger back then."

I nodded in agreement, remembering the way I used to stare at the open road in front of the orphanage in Forks. The world seemed like the vast reaches of space back then.

Now my world was narrowed down to the five by five interior of the Impala.

"How is your family?" she asked.

My heart clenched at the thought of my family. Then it started pumping faster as the reality of what happened set in.

"Oh God…I don't know…my brother…my car!" My mind started spinning and I automatically pressed the distress button. A nurse rushed into the room, giving Sister Mary Alice an annoyed glare.

"I told you not to upset him," the nurse snapped.

"He's distressed by the situation he is in. I have no bearing on that," the good Sister pointed out.

"Calm down, Agent Simon," the nurse told me.

_Agent Simon? Damn…we must have had our F.B.I. badges on us when we got hit. That means Edward is Garfunkel._

I tried to calm down but I couldn't stop thinking about Edward…and Dad.

"Where's my partner? Where's Agent Garfunkel?" I demanded.

"Calm down…please, your partner is fine. He's resting in his room right now."

"I need to see him…need to watch out for him…can we bunk in the same room?"

"Agent Simon, you're not going anywhere. You were in a very serious accident this morning. You sustained a head injury. You need to calm down and rest. Please," the nurse pleaded with me but I wouldn't have any of it. I needed to check on Eddie.

I started reaching for the tubes implanted in my arms. I tried to yank them free but they were embedded deep.

"Stop! Security!" the nurse shouted.

I struggled against her and the big dude that ran into the room. It didn't faze me at all to have a tussle with two of them while sporting a hospital gown.

"Hold him down," the nurse told him. "I'll up his dose for sedation."

_Ah__hell,__they__'__re__gonna__drug__me._That was taking two steps back. I'd be out for another couple of hours and God knows what those things that were after us would do.

"No!" I yelled.

"Agent Simon, please calm down!" the nurse shouted.

"Jasper," Sister Mary Alice said calmly. She put her hand on my arm and I felt myself relax instantly.

"He's alright. I promise. You need to rest," she told me.

All at once the fight was drained from me. I felt like I was ten years old again, all wound up one second and totally calm the next. After all these years the old broad still had the gift.

I rested back, letting go of the tubes and the nurse took a step back.

"Do I need to sedate you, Agent Simon?" she asked with a stern look. I shook my head.

"Good. As for the condition your partner is in, he's fine. Better than you actually. He has some mild bruises and cuts but he'll be released shortly. We'll need you to stay in here overnight for observation."

"Ah, come on…" I started to protest.

The nurse glared at me and I shut up. I needed to be alert, especially if I was going to be grounded to this bed for the entire day.

"I need to make my rounds. You have five more minutes," she told Sister Mary Alice.

The Sister just rolled her eyes as the young woman left the room. I couldn't help but smirk.

"Well, now I have to cancel the stripper. Thanks so much, Jasper," she teased.

I chuckled. "Ah shucks."

"So, your family?" she repeated as if the little episode I'd just had wasn't explanation enough.

"My Dad's a car and my brother's doing better than me," I told her. I didn't see any reason to make up some story and lie to her. Sister Mary Alice was the closest thing I had to a best friend. She'd been there for me longer than Carlisle. I'd almost call her a mother figure but I had too many kinky thoughts about her when I was going through my teen years. I didn't have any doubts that she would keep whatever I told her a secret.

"A car?" she echoed. "Wow…I've heard about people taking their work home, but that…that I actually didn't see coming." She shook her head in authentic disbelief. "How are you? Are you staying strong?"

She watched me with those golden-brown eyes that used to console me as a child. I nodded, reluctantly. I was trying to stay strong. Seemed like every time I turned around anymore I was being tested, though.

"I'm happy to hear that," she said with another small smile.

"I'm happy that you're not here to hit me over the head with a bible," I teased.

She rolled her eyes again, waving off that idea with a laugh. "Oh please, you know I'm the worst nun in existence."

I laughed, groaning when the movement caused my head to throb more.

"I need to get out of here, Sister. Tomorrow is Edward's birthday…" My voice failed me as I tried to explain why it was so important that I keep him under constant watch until the twenty-first. I didn't see the point in keeping secrets from her, but some stories were just too damn complicated to explain in a few minutes.

"I know, Jasper, I know," she whispered, squeezing my arm reassuringly before stepping away.

Somehow I knew that she really did know what I was talking about.

"Did you know Edward…or his mom Elizabeth?" I asked. Maybe she knew something about what was going down tomorrow. What those things were that were waiting for us when we turned off the highway.

I knew Edward had only been at the orphanage for a few days when Carlisle adopted him. I never really considered him an orphan because of that. He hadn't even spent an entire week of his life without a parent, where as I spent a decade alone in that place. Even so, I had no memory of Edward's time at the orphanage.

_That__'__s__probably__because__I__was__a__kid.__If__anyone__would__remember__him__being__there,__it__'__d__be__Sister__Mary__Alice._The woman had an uncanny memory.

"No," she said. "I didn't transfer to Forks until the next summer."

It took me a minute to realize what she was telling me. And then it took another couple of minutes for me to realize that just didn't make sense.

_Must have hit my noggin a little harder than usual after all. _

"What do you mean?" I inquired. "You found me on the doorstep…I have a picture of you standing with me when I blew out the candles on my first birthday cake."

"You kept that?" she asked with her golden-hewed eyes shining.

I nodded. "Yeah…how is it you were there for that if you didn't move there until five years later?"

Sister Mary Alice glanced at the door and then back at me. "I promised your nurse I wouldn't excite you."

I shot her a look. "Then you shouldn't have spoken at all."

She sighed, sitting down at the edge of my bed. "You really wanna know?"

I raised one eyebrow in response.

She smiled. "Let me see if I can finagle a wheelchair from an unsuspecting orderly then."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Edward PoV**

I signed the release papers and the secretary at the front desk gave me the typical release statement, agreeing that I was well enough to see myself out. My destination wasn't out the front door of the hospital though. I wandered the halls looking for Jasper's room.

The nurse at the front desk warned that he had sustained a head injury which meant they'd want to keep him under observation over night. Which meant we were all kinds of screwed.

I turned down another set of identical hallways from the ones I had just navigated. A few M.D.'s, wearing their white coats and no-nonsense facial expressions, walked past me.

My thoughts turned cynical at the sight. Who was I kidding with going to medical school? I never would have survived as a doctor. The dress code alone was boring as hell.

"Edward," a voice called around the next corner. I stopped when I saw the nun waving at me like she knew me.

I waved back, stupidly. "Uh, hi?"

The petite woman flitted down the hall to greet me.

"My, you've grown," she said once she was in front of me.

I awkwardly looked around before looking down at the barely five-foot habit-sporting woman.

"Do I know you?" I asked as politely as possible. I offhandedly considered the possibility that this hospital was large enough to house a mental patients ward.

She nodded, winking.

I noticed that she had the strangest color of eyes, amber, but with more gold in their depths than seemed natural.

"How is it that you know me?"

She rolled those golden eyes with a sarcastic twist of her lips. "Well, _technically_I know _of_you but that's just semantics. I'm Sister Mary Alice," she introduced herself.

I ran the name through my memory. "Jasper's…friend?" I wasn't sure what she was to Jazz, really. She was part mother, part guardian and apparently part Mrs. Robinson if my memory of his teen years wasn't mistaken.

"Yes," she confirmed. "I was also a friend of hers…yourmother."

With that she turned on her heel and headed back down the hallway.

"Wait a minute," I shouted after her. She didn't respond so I followed her.

"How did you know my mom?" I asked when I caught up with her.

"Have you seen a wheelchair?" she inquired randomly. I shook my head, shrugging. She frowned and kept walking.

"Lady…Sister…please, how did you know my mom?"

"Hmm…I would say he could walk but if he passes out they won't let me in to see him at all and that will be problematic for tomorrow," she rambled, still ignoring my question.

"Ah," she said when an orderly walked by. "Excuse me, sir? Would you happen to know where I can get my hands on a wheelchair?" she asked him sweetly.

"What's it for?" he asked, throwing a cautious glance in my direction.

"Oh, there's a man upstairs…on his last leg, poor soul. I told him I'd take him down to the chapel. You know…to make his peace with the Lord," she explained, giving the man the most beseeching stare.

The orderly sighed, and nodded. "Okay. Wait here, I'll get you one."

"Bless you, my child," she said, rubbing the silver cross that hung from a chain around her neck.

Once the man was gone she turned back to me. "Did you want to join me with visiting your brother?"

"What about the nearly dying man?" I asked.

She winked.

I smirked as I realized she had just lied. "Wow," I said under my breath. "You're good."

She winked again and thanked the orderly when he brought her the wheelchair.

"Edward, be a dear and put your foot out to grab the elevator door will you?" she instructed as she situated the rolling chair.

I started to ask what she was talking about just as the ding sounded for the arrival of the elevator. One young nurse scurried off the elevator and the door nearly slammed shut on her heels. I threw my foot out to trigger the sensors just in time.

"How did you know that would happen?" I asked once we were alone in the elevator.

She shrugged. "The elevators in this place close quickly."

I watched her as we rode up to the fourth floor. The woman was full of contradictions. She wore the robes of a servant of God but she had broken a commandment or two in the past few minutes without any sign of remorse. She had wrinkles around the corners of her eyes but I could tell from here that those weren't quite natural. The rest of her skin was flawless, smooth as porcelain; youthful. Her wimple covered her hair but there were a few stray gray strands that jutted out across her forehead. That was curious since her eyebrows were as black as crow feathers.

"Are you writing a book about me, Edward?" she asked, causing me to realize that I was staring at her with inappropriate intensity.

"Sorry," I offered as the door opened. I noticed that Sister Mary Alice was already walking toward the opening before the elevator had even slowed. She didn't even slow her pace, hitting the doorway just as the doors parted.

"You're very in tune with the elevators in this place," I noted, earning another mysterious smile from her.

"Why do we need the wheelchair?"

"Your brother hit his head this morning," she replied as if that would explain everything. "It's mostly for show," she continued when she noticed my questioning look. "The doctors are worried there might have been some permanent damage."

I snorted. "They must not know how hard his head is," I joked.

Sister Mary Alice giggled. "That's exactly what I thought."

_I like this chick._

"So…I still don't get why we need the wheelchair," I prompted.

"We're going for a walk. Would you like to join us?" she asked in a pleasant voice. There was almost a hint of condescension in that too sweet request—like she knew what I was already going to say.

"Well, until you tell me about my mother I'm sure you know I'll continue to follow you wherever you go."

The lines around her eyes crinkled as she smiled.

"Oh, you're going to be the fun one," she said, cryptically.

"Knock, knock," she announced, knocking on the door to room 403. She waited as if she could see what was going on behind the closed door.

"Why don't we just…" I started to suggest we just step inside when the door opened suddenly.

A very busty redhead strutted past us, pushing a cart with various bathing products on it. I watched the nurse walk away; mentally cursing the fact that Jazz was always the lucky one. I followed the Sister into the room to find my idiot brother grinning like a fool. A happy, lucky, perverted fool.

"Sponge bath," he said, waggling his brows.

I rolled my eyes and nodded toward the nun standing between us. Jazz shrugged, giving the Sister an appreciative once over before blushing and throwing a glance at the ceiling.

That made me laugh out loud. To my surprise Sister Mary Alice laughed along with me.

"Jasper, you are rather cute when you're committing sins," she told him.

"I'm not exactly sure how I'm supposed to take that," he replied, blushing harder.

"Well…how about that walk," I suggested, hoping to escape the awkwardness of our situation.

"Walk? You two breaking me out of here?" he asked.

"Sadly, no," the Sister told him. "We're going to the chapel."

"The chapel?" we repeated in unison.

"Isn't that adorable…you're both sweating at the idea, aren't you?" she teased. "I always had Carlisle pegged as more of a man of faith than his habits would suggest …though I suppose one can have an abundance of faith without religion, can they not?"

She shrugged in response to her personal conversation.

"Was she crazy back when you knew her?" I whispered to Jazz.

He shrugged. "I was ten, dude. Everyone was crazy to me."

"How ya feeling?" I asked, helping him out of bed.

"Like I got hit by a bus," he said. He swayed slightly and leaned against me for balance. "I'm also cold," he added.

I looked down to find the back of his hospital gown was wide open; his bare butt was on full display.

"Well…" I started to tease, making eye contact with Sister Mary Alice and noticed she had been enjoying the view.

She shrugged and winked.

"What?" Jazz asked, fumbling his way towards the wheelchair.

"Nothing," I mumbled, unsure what to make of the good Sister.

"To the chapel?" she asked once Jasper was situated in the chair.

"I guess there's nothing more religion inspiring than a near death experience," Jazz joked.

"So, Sister Mary Alice," I said, following her as she pushed Jazz down the hallway. "How is it that you knew my mother?"

"Hey, I thought you said you didn't know Elizabeth?" Jazz added.

The tiny nun just smirked as she silently pushed the wheelchair toward the elevators.

"Second floor please," she prompted when I reached for the button.

"Why do we have to wait until we're in the chapel for you to talk?" Jazz asked. "Are you worried the rest of the hospital is bugged?"

"The answers you are seeking are there," she offered serenely.

I rolled my eyes. "Let me guess, you knew Carlisle too?"

She laughed. "I'm not trying to be cryptic, boys. There's just a lot to weed through to find the right thing to say."

"Oh…well that was a clear as mud, Sister, thanks," Jazz sarcastically retorted.

She reached forward and playfully smacked the back of his head.

"Hey!" he shouted. "Nursing a head wound."

"Jasper, I've known you all of your life. You've got a head as hard as a rock."

Jazz glared up at me as I snorted in agreement.

A few minutes later we were off of the elevator and staring at the entrance of the chapel with a mixture of confusion and slight apprehension.

"What…how…" I tried to find the right words to say.

"What the hell is that?" Jasper asked pointing to the large gilded crest bolted to the door.

"That's the crest of the Volturi," she said. "Marcus Volturi is the saint that this hospital is named for."

I stared at the crest in shock. I'd seen it before. Every single time I looked at my ankle to be exact.

"How is it that we never knew…" I mumbled.

"This isn't your run-of-the-mill hospitals, Edward," she offered. "Follow me." She slid a security card through the slot at the left side of the entrance.

The doors opened automatically once her card was accepted.

"I'm assuming this isn't your run-of-the-mill kind of chapel either?" Jazz asked she pushed him down the aisle between the four rows of pews.

"Look, Sister Mary Alice, we're kind of filled to the top with secrets and history lessons," I explained as I followed. "If you could just jump to the facts, we'd appreciate it."

"I'd love to do that, Edward," she said, parking Jazz by the front row of pews and turning around to face both of us. "But…I can't. One day you and I will have a conversation about this moment and you'll understand…well, so long as you don't have a fight with Bella over reading people's minds without permission…"

I shook my head. "If…what?"

She dismissed her previous statement with a wave of her hand. "Knowing too much right now will lead us down an even darker path…one with too many horrible outcomes. We're on damage control right now. That means I have to give you just enough information to make the right decisions to buffer what is coming."

"Holy crap," Jazz exclaimed. "You're like the Mr. Miyagi of cryptic information. Dad would have loved to study from you."

"Your father did most of what he did because of me."

That statement hung in the air for a second, ringing in my ears as I realized what that meant.

Her eyes grew wide and she shook her head subtly to keep me from voicing my theory. Jazz obviously hadn't caught on and apparently knowing what she really was would lead us down that dark path she was talking about.

"Why talk to us at all?" I asked.

She sighed, sitting down in the first pew on the right. "You have to know something. Your noodle is scrambled enough as it is. I apologize for that, by the way," she said glancing up at me. "I can't see when those damn dogs are around. I had no idea that you had thrown away your pills until…shut up, Alice," she mumbled under her breath.

"What is it?" Jasper asked. For the first time in my life I noticed that my brother was acting…human while looking at her.

Usually we operated under an act. We conned people for a living, pretending to be people we weren't. Pretending that the things that we hunt didn't really exist. That causes a person to become detached, removed from the basic human responses that come naturally to everyone else in the world. Jazz wasn't putting on an act right then. His guard was completely down.

_He__trusts__her__completely,_I realized. I wished like hell that I could do the same. But I couldn't. A lifetime of Carlisle's warnings were on my shoulders.

"I've already said too much," she said, standing and walking over to the far wall. "I will tell you that this place is neutral ground. You're safe while inside the hospital but that protection ends at the front doors."

She pulled the chain with the silver cross from around her neck and pressed something on the back of the cross. A tiny key slid out from the bottom of the cross like a switchblade.

"How could you keep everything a secret from me? All of my life…" Jazz asked.

"We do what we must for the ones that we love, Jasper," she replied, looking over her shoulder and meeting his eyes with a look of concern in hers.

"What's the key for?" I asked, focusing on the immediate since everything else seemed a little too abstract at the moment.

"There are many secrets hidden within the walls of this hospital…many more than any of us will ever know. I've carried this secret with me for many, many years," she explained. She walked to the wall and slid the key into the center of one of the small crosses on the wall. I realized then that there were hundreds of the tiny crosses along the wall. So many I had mistaken them for dotted wallpaper. She turned the key and a small box sprang free from the wall.

"Holy security boxes…Batman," Jazz joked.

"In a matter of speaking," she confirmed. She reached into the small box and retrieved a piece of paper. It looked no bigger than a note card. She returned the box to the wall before bringing the paper to us.

"Is this about my mother?" I whispered, equal parts hopeful and terrified that she would say yes.

"It concerns all of our mothers," she offered mysteriously.

She handed me the paper.

I stared at it in confusion. In my hand was a black and white photo. The three young girls who stared back at me were strangers; at least I believed they were. I recognized that they sat in this same chapel that we found ourselves in now.

"Who are they?" I asked, handing the picture to Jasper.

"That is for you to discover on your own," she replied without looking at me. She released the break on Jasper's wheelchair and started to push him back toward the door.

"That's it?" he asked with anger creeping into his voice.

She nodded. "That's it. My hands are bound beyond this…and even now I'm uncertain if I'm making the right decision. Maybe Carlisle had it right all along…"

We walked through the chapel doors, which sealed with a series of loud clicks once we were on the other side.

"And this is where I leave you," she informed us.

"Are you kidding me?" I asked. "What the hell…"

"Sister Mary Alice, please…tell us something…what's waiting for us outside?" Jazz pleaded.

"Destiny."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"You are not leaving this place tonight," he commanded with a glare as he ate his Jell-o.

I wrung my hands distractedly as I tried to find the right way to go about this argument.

"Jazz…I have to find Dad…we don't know what they did with the wreckage…"

"Oh horseshit, Eddie," he snapped. "She said this is the safe zone and I can't check out until tomorrow."

"She didn't say I should stay," I countered.

"She didn't say anything about anything but that she knows a hell of a lot more than she is willing to share," he barked.

I drew a slow breath to clear my head, releasing it just as slowly before looking at the photo once more.

"Who do you think they are?" I asked, nodding to the picture.

"Well…I'd say the one in middle is totally Renee, she's a dead ringer for Iz."

I nodded, running my finger over the face that was almost painfully familiar face. "So…who are the other two?"

"You got me."

I didn't recognize either of the other two girls in any way. I flipped the picture over, reading the word printed on the back.

"Whitlock," I read out loud.

"What did you say?" Jazz asked. I looked up at the sound of his voice, noticing that the fear I heard was mirrored in the pale coloring of his face.

"What?" I asked anxiously.

"It's, um…that's…_my_…When Sister Mary Alice found me there was a…note clipped to my shirt that just said…Jasper Whitlock on it," he explained, looking away with confusion marring his features.

"So, that's your birth name, then?" I stared at the girls once more. "You think…one of these girls is your mom?"

"Well, I think we can rule Renee out," he said flatly.

"Can we?" I asked in all honesty.

"Are you saying you think I'm Isabella's long lost brother?"

I lifted my shoulders in defeated exasperation. "I'm saying I have no clue what this means. That we have your name and Iz's face on the same piece of paper and no other leads."

"It's not what we need to focus on right now, anyway," he said. "We need to figure out what's waiting for us out there."

"I can't do that if I've stuck in the hospital with you all night, Jazz," I told him.

He glared at me with bloodshot eyes. "There's no way in hell that I'm letting you leave."

"Okay," I said, raising my hands to keep his blood pressure down.

"I'm going to go get some coffee, you want anything?"

He shook his head.

I found a machine down the hall from his room. I punched in whatever the first option was. I didn't really give a crap what kind of coffee ended up in the cup. I wouldn't be drinking it anyway.

"Excuse me, miss?" I asked, stepping up to the nurse's station.

"My partner, in room 403, he's complaining about being in some slight pain. Is there anything you can give him to help him sleep?"

"You're Agent Garfunkel?" the nurse asked, giving me a look that said she would be more than happy to knock Agent Simon out for the rest of the night.

I smiled. "So…you've met him already, huh?"

She rolled her eyes. "Your partner has a flair for the dramatic. I'll send one of the interns in with some meds in a few minutes."

"Thanks," I said, heading back to the room before Jazz got suspicious of my absence.

"Dude, they have like ninety two channels in this place and not a single one of them is the Soap Network," he griped as I entered the room.

"Jazz, you're in here to heal from a head wound. Not to grow a vagina," I teased. I ducked as his spoon went sailing toward my head.

"Mr. Simon?" a young girl asked from the door a minute later.

"That's _Agent_ Simon," Jazz replied with a flirtatious raise of his brow.

"How are you feeling? Are the aches setting in?" she asked, fluffing his pillow and checking the screen positioned next to his bed.

"Yeah, my neck is killing me. And some tiny dude is playing drums in my skull," he told her. I knew he was probably partly joking, and mostly just trying to use his situation to flirt. But his response helped ensure that she would give him the drugs.

"Okay," she said, reaching over and punching some buttons on the IV-station hooked up to the monitor.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Just giving you something to help you sleep," she told him. "Let me know if you need anything else." She took his food tray and left the room, offering me a kind smile before she left.

I watched my brother, no longer able to hide the guilt in my eyes.

"Why?" he asked. I could see the effects were already setting in. His lids kept drooping and he shook his head like there was a fly buzzing in front of his face.

"I have to figure out what's going on…before tomorrow. I'll be smart…and safe. You just rest," I rambled.

It was partially the truth. I did need to figure out what was going on and he did need his rest. Mostly, I was just tired of running. These things were at our door. They wouldn't care if they got me on the twentieth or the twenty-first. We couldn't outrun them.

I was ready to face that fate.

"Eddie…no," he pleaded in a strained whisper. He couldn't move his body anymore but he fought to keep his eyes open for as long as he could. "You can't…don't…" He finally lost his battle as his eyelids closed, his breathing growing slow and steady.

"Be safe," he whispered before finally passing out.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

With my guilty conscience ticking like a time bomb in my chest, I headed out of the hospital.

I felt totally vulnerable as I hailed a cab. Not only was I without any weapons, but I had no clue where the car was and for the first time I was on a hunt without my big brother.

My chest ached anew as I remembered the crazed terror in his eyes just before he slipped into unconsciousness. He was so going to kick my ass when he woke up.

_Here__'__s__hoping__my__ass__is__still__around__for__him__to__kick,_ I told myself.

"Where to?" the cab driver asked.

"Just drive for right now, I have some calls to make." I figured finding the Impala was the best bet. At least I'd have access to the arsenal. Not that any of it would do any good.

I called the Police station and spoke to the Officer who was at the scene of our accident. He told me that the Impala was taken to a nearby mechanic garage. I gave the driver the address and rested back, remembering why I preferred owning a car.

The garage looked closed when I got there. The front door was unlocked but the front desk was empty.

"Hello," I called.

"Come 'round back," a voice hollered.

I followed the hallway through the lobby to the garage, shocked as hell to find none other than Charlie Swan and Emmett McCarty working on a pile of twisted metal.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" I asked, looking between the two of them.

Emmett didn't waste any time tackling me. He charged in my direction, lifting me off the ground with a bone-crushing bear hug.

"Uh, Em…I can't breathe!" I gasped.

His infectious chuckle filled the garage. "Damn, it's good to see you, Eddie!" He squeezed me one last time before releasing me.

I flopped back on to my feet, coughing as I regained my breath.

"Hey kiddo, how are you?" Charlie asked, reaching out to shake my hand.

"Doing okay. Jazz will be in the hospital overnight. Just for observations," I added when they shot me worried expressions.

"What happened, man?" Em asked.

"First off, how…why are you guys here?" I asked again.

"Got your text," Charlie said.

"My what?"

"You texted me yesterday."

"What did the text say?"

"It just said this address and come quick," he said, pulling out his phone and tossing it to me so I could see for myself. "I figured I'd need back up so I called Em. We decided to fly down here to get her as fast as we could. Got here just in time too."

Em laughed. "Yeah…they were towing the Impala in just as we got here. The place is closed down but there's tons of equipment still here…almost like someone knew we'd need the space and the stuff."

I read the text, trying to make heads or tails of it. I pulled out my own phone, surprised to find the text in my sent folder.

"I didn't send this," I mumbled, staring at the two screens in shock.

"Who did?" Charlie asked.

I shook my head in confusion. "No idea. We were on the highway yesterday. We didn't even know danger was coming until it hit us this morning. I've been at the hospital with Jazz since I woke up."

"Well…I'm not going to say that's the oddest thing to ever happen but it makes the top ten," Charlie muttered.

"So…how's the car?" I asked, almost afraid to really look at it.

"The back end is wrecked all to shit. I'm surprised the arsenal didn't end up all over the pavement," Em said.

"It's mostly exterior damage. The interior and the engine are good. The roof is caved in…and like Em said the back is smashed."

"What were you two up against?" Em asked, getting back to work with a hammer.

I cringed as he started to pound out the dent in right rear fender.

"Um…we don't know. They moved…fast. Faster than anything I've ever seen. They were also strong, obviously," I said, waving to the car. "They didn't react to anything we threw at them. Salt, lead…I even fired off a few rounds of silver bullets. They just kept coming. I don't think any of it even pierced their skin."

"Okay…so not ghosts or creatures of the more garden variety, then," Charlie said.

"What's the game plan?" Em asked.

I shrugged. "Survive tomorrow is about as much as I have planned."

Charlie watched me with worry-filled eyes. "We'll get through it together, kid. I promise."

I regarded Charlie with different eyes than when I had last seen him. I searched for any indication that he might share genes with Jasper. I couldn't see any. He had dark brown hair where Jazz was blonde. Charlie's brown eyes were mirrors of his daughter's. Jasper's blue eyes always reminded me of Carlisle's eyes. They were different heights, builds…hell, they even liked completely opposite kinds of food.

I would be hard-pressed to believe Charlie was any relation to Jasper.

_Speaking of kids who were related to Charlie Swan…_

"What about Iz?" I asked, remembering that it wasn't just my birthday tomorrow. "Is she safe?"

Charlie waved me off. "She's fine. She's safe. I sent her down to La Push to hang out with the wolves. I may not love the idea but they've kept this thing away from my family for a lot of years."

I nodded, relieved to find out that she was safe and biting my tongue over his choice of guard dogs. I snorted at my private joke.

"Maybe you should join her, Edward," Charlie suggested, giving me a worried look at my sudden laughter. "Get a plane ticket right now…fly up there and stay on the reservation. You saw what happened a few days ago. Jake ran that thing out of town without even trying. You'll be safe there…"

I shook my head in defeat. "Thanks, but it's too late. I think it's safe to assume they have my scent now, Charlie. I doubt I'll be let out of town much less on a plane…full of innocent passengers."

"We don't know they have your scent, Kid," he argued. "Maybe they just recognized the car. If we get you out of town fast enough…"

"I stopped taking the pills back in January," I blurted out.

Charlie's face froze in shock. "Damn," he whispered, knowing all of our cards were now on the table.

I smiled lightly, nudging his shoulder with my hand in reassurance. "They won't get me without a fight. Don't worry about it."

"I'm going to worry about you boys always," he promised.

I had to look away to not tear up like some PMSing chick.

"Thanks," I said gruffly.

"Do you guys have a hotel room yet?" I asked, rummaging through the pile of debris in the corner to find our suitcases and my laptop.

"Dammit," I cursed under my breath. The computer was smashed to bits. There wasn't any hope of doing research on it tonight.

_Oh, well. It's not like I would find anything anyway._

"There's a motel up the street," Em said. "We figured we get a room there in a few hours."

"I'll go get the room. Give me a call when you guys want to go get some food or something," I told them.

They waved goodbye and I took one last long look at the crumpled up Impala that they worked on. My father had put himself through hell…probably even beyond hell to save me from this moment. In the end nothing could spare me this fate.

_All that's left now is to wait. _

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

I rolled the stiffness from my shoulders. It had been a few hours since I left the garage. The sun had set and I had painted a devil's trap in front of the entrance to the room as well as salted all windows and the doorway.

I didn't feel that secure even with the precautions. Something about those things this morning were just different from anything we'd come across yet.

I took a sip from the Coke can in my hand and tried to focus on the TV.

My mind kept roaming back to the picture that we found at St. Marcus. I put the soda down and fetched the picture from the nightstand.

"Who are you?" I asked the three smiling faces that stared back at me.

Supposedly one of the girls in the photo was Jazz's mom, but who were there? I couldn't believe that Renee was Jasper's mother. She would have been married to Charlie by the time Jazz was born and there's no way in hell that Charlie Swan would have put his own kid up for adoption.

"Unless it's just what he had to do," I reasoned. "Nah," I decided. Charlie would still not give up his kid. He'd just prepare for the fight.

Giving up kids was always more Carlisle's M.O.

There was something familiar about the girl on the right side of the trio. The picture was faded and developed in black and white but I could have sworn I'd seen her eyes before. I ran my finger over her face.

This mystery was going to bug the shit out of me.

A soft knock on the door drew me from my thoughts. I looked at the clock on the wall—eleven thirty. It was too late at night for housekeeping.

I walked slowly to the door, glancing out the window. I didn't notice any new cars in the parking lot. I retrieved the pocket knife tucked away in my sneaker.

"Edward?" a female voice called from the other side of the door. At first I thought that Tanya had returned, but then I knew she wouldn't have to knock. I did recognize the voice, though.

"Iz?" I asked, swinging the door open in total trust.

There she was, bright brown eyes blinking up at me and a gentle smile curving her lips.

"Hey," she said.

A calm settled over me as I looked at her. I couldn't remember what I was thinking about before she arrived. I didn't care to think about anything but her.

"I missed you," I whispered.

"I know. Me too," she told me. She pushed her way into room, her arm brushing against mine as she passed me.

I lost all thought of restraint; immediately all my inhibitions were thrown out the door just before I slammed it shut.

"I want you," I told her, as I stalked toward her.

There was a distant part of my brain that was warning me something was off. This wasn't like me. I had never felt the need to be so…aggressive with any woman. But this wasn't just any woman.

"I want you, too," she whispered, cupping her hands against my cheeks.

The feel of her skin against mine was my undoing. My lips were on hers then, tasting, ravaging. My hands slid under her shirt, touching her soft skin as if it were the finest porcelain.

"I need you…now," I begged. I gave her an opportunity to back out. If she wanted to leave I would try to allow her to go. I couldn't promise that I wouldn't follow her and plead for her to give in to this.

But I needed to give her the chance to say no.

She stepped back, tugging at the hem of my shirt, pulling it over my head and tossing it into the corner. Her fingers traced the lines of my chest, leaving a fiery path of heat in their wake.

"What's this?" she asked, running her pointer finger along the lines of my anti-possession tattoo.

"It's a sigil…it keeps the bad guys out," I explained breathlessly. My heart beat faster under her touch. I felt as though the layers of flesh, muscle and bone dissolved and she was massaging the organ itself.

It beat only for her.

She leaned forward, pressing her lips against the center of the pentagram. "Such a pure heart," she whispered against my skin.

The heat from her touch pulsed through me, warming me from the inside out. My skin was on fire.

"I'm burning," I whispered, choking on the raw need that I felt for her.

My cock strained against the confines of my jeans. I flexed my hips against hers, causing her to gasp in excitement.

"Would you like me to put the fire out, Edward?" she purred, running her tongue along my earlobe.

I grunted, thrusting my still clothed crotch forward.

"Lie down," she whispered in a husky, sexy voice.

I followed her command eagerly, lying down across the bed with the fire burning hotter than ever inside of me.

She pulled her shirt over her head, reaching around unclasp her bra. I nearly went crossed eyed with my eyes bouncing from her pert, naked breast to her hands undoing the fly of her pants. She slid her jeans down over her perfect hips and I moaned at the sight of her plain white bikini underwear. She hooked her fingers in the waistband of the cotton panties, sliding those down slowly, holding my eyes with her stare.

"Now…_please_, Bella!" I begged, reaching for the fly of my jeans.

"Ah, ah," she said, grabbing my hands and shoving them back against the mattress.

"This is all mine," she said, leaning down to run her tongue along my lower belly.

I threw my head back and moaned. It had been too long since I was with a woman. And it had never been like this with Tanya. I felt like every nerve in my body was a live wire. I was going to explode from this.

Her fingers wrapped around the edge of my fly and worked the button and zipper down, giving the bulge contained within room to spread out.

"My, my, you really are a gifted young man," she told me, winking when I looked up to question what she meant.

She ran her hand along my cheek and I didn't give shit what she was talking about.

"_Bella_!" I groaned, fisting the bedspread beneath me for restraint.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," she whispered, slipping her fingers into my boxers and caressing me. "I'll put the fire out."

I nodded, grunting when she slid my pants down far enough to free my hardened cock.

"_Bella_," I moaned. For a second I felt like I was out of my body, looking down at myself and trying to wake myself up. I didn't feel in control.

Then I felt her slick, wet heat slide down over my aching cock.

I was lost to the sensation. The pleasure. The fire.

"Kiss me, Edward," she demanded, slipping her tongue into my mouth as she started to move on top of me.

I was a heap of grunts and electric shocks of pleasure as we rode out the fire together. I came, too soon for my liking, and collapsed back with Bella lying across my chest, panting along with my ragged breaths.

"My Bella," I whispered, pressing my lips the top of her head.

"Always," she promised, kissing my chest once more.

To my surprise she pulled away from me and climbed out of bed.

I immediately felt cold and empty without her against me.

"What are you doing?" I asked as she dressed.

I was captivated by the smooth flawlessness of her naked back. Again, a distant alarm went off in my mind, something was wrong but I couldn't put my finger on it. It must have been my worry for the danger waiting outside the hotel room. I didn't want Bella to be hurt as well.

"We have to go, Edward," she said. "Now…those…things are coming here."

I sat up quickly, on guard. "You saw them?"

She nodded, fear burning in her eyes.

I jumped out of bed and dressed quickly. I didn't care what happened to me, but I had to keep Bella safe.

"What are you doing?" I asked as she opened the door.

"I know a way that we can get out of here safely," she said. "Follow me."

Without question I followed her out of the hotel room. I held her hand, wondering at the fact that even in the midst of danger I felt at peace with her by my side.

She led me to a car parked at the back end of the lot.

"Who are those people, Bella?" I asked when we got closer to the car. I noticed a blonde woman standing by the back passenger side door and two men seated in the front of the car.

"They're here to help us," she assured me. "They're friends. You trust me, don't you, Edward?" she asked, looking up at me with her eyes wide with apprehension.

I smiled reassuringly, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. "Completely," I promised.

"Good," she said. "Get in the car."

"Uh, you stink of human," the blonde woman said as she slid in to the backseat next to Bella.

"That was a more…interesting experiment, I will admit," Bella told her. "I don't understand what Alice finds so fascinating about bonding with these primates."

I didn't understand their conversation, but it didn't matter. I was with Bella. I was content.

"He's smiling at you like a drunk, lovesick fool," the blonde woman said.

"Don't be cranky. I told you my way was better," Bella said. "And far less messy."

"Tell that to your dry cleaner."

Bella smiled, turning back to stare into my eyes. "Would you like to go on a trip with me, Edward?"

"I'll go anywhere with you, Bella."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Jazz PoV (June 20th, 2010)**

"Edward!" I shouted as I tore through the room.

I had awoken only an hour before. Sister Mary Alice was waiting for me when I woke up. She told me that Charlie and Emmett were in town, gave me the hotel information and promised that we'd be in touch. She also handed me a security card for the chapel with the reminder that the hospital was safe ground.

My only thought had been to get to the hotel in time to keep Edward safe.

I rifled through every square inch of the hotel room.

There was no note. No sign of where he went or why. The salt line and devil's trap at the door didn't seem disturbed at all. There wasn't any blood. No sign of a struggle. All of his stuff was here.

Edward was still everywhere in this room but he was nowhere to be found.

I called his cell and was hardly surprised when the ringer went off on the nightstand.

Whatever took him covered all of their bases. Whoever…whatever showed up here took him alive and without any fight from him.

I called Charlie's cell.

"Jazz, what's up?" he answered.

"Where are you?" I barked, short on temper and manners.

"Down at the garage with the Impala, why?"

"Edward's gone." Saying those words out loud, passing the news on to Charlie made the situation that much more real. I felt myself sit down on the edge of Edward's bed clumsily. I hadn't meant to sit down. I had to get out there, find him. My legs just didn't want to move.

"What's next?" I whispered.

"I'll be right there," Charlie said.

"No," I told him. "Stay there…working on fixing up the car…I'll…You just work on getting Dad put back together."

I hung up without waiting for a response. I sat there for another handful of minutes, running my hands over my face and trying to put together all of the pieces floating around in my mind.

Some of the pieces fit. It was Edward's birthday and whatever was looking for him followed through. I didn't think he was in danger of dying…at least not yet. If these things wanted him dead I would have found his body in the hotel room when I got back today. They wanted him alive, but to what end I wasn't sure.

The other bits of information on my mind didn't amount to anything. The picture of the three young girls. The fact that Edward and I both had tattoos of the icon at the doors of the chapel.

They were all pieces of a jigsaw puzzle…but I didn't have all of the pieces. I had scattered corners and giant holes through most of the overall picture.

And time was up.

I stood up without even bothering to check the room for more clues. There was only one place I could turn to now. One lead I could follow.

It was a short walk to my destination that I spent trapped in the isolation of the thoughts.

I walked through the door of the small chapel, hardly surprised that I was alone once inside. All of the pews were empty. The only sound was the click of my cowboy boots hitting the floor as I walked up to light a candle. I crossed myself and knelt down right where I was standing.

"Look…I don't know how to do this. I've never really believed…" I started, taking a deep breath as I thought about where my baby brother might be. "I know you have to be out there. I mean…someone burns those fuckers when I read the exorcisms, right?"

I threw a sarcastic smile toward the ceiling. My eyes welled up when I realized I was just looking at plaster and paint. I was truly at the end of my rope.

"I fucked up," I confessed, my voice catching my throat as the tears finally started to fall.

I heard his voice in my head then. Carlisle. Reminding me, and commanding me.

_Watch after your brother, Jasper. I'm counting on you to keep him safe. Edward is your responsibility. _

How many times had he told me to do it? Every single minute of my life as a Cullen I had one basic job - keep Edward safe.

Over and over his words played in my head.

I had failed.

Not just my father, but my brother. Edward was in the hands of whatever had been hunting him his whole life. Whatever it was my father sacrificed his life to keep away.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. The agony settling into my bones robbed me of the hate and anger that had shielded me all of my life. I was used up. Empty. I had thought that I had reached rock bottom before. I was certain that the shit I had gone through on my own after Dad disappeared and Edward left had been the lowest point for me.

I was wrong.

My dad was a ball of twisted metal and shattered glass. My brother was…God, I had no clue where Edward was. I hoped that he was alive. And then like a shot Carlisle's other warning echoed in my skull.

_When the time comes, you have to kill him. _

What did that mean now? Since I hadn't killed him, and I didn't protect him what was going to happen to him?What the hell was he going to become? If I had been strong enough to do what was asked of me before…was death a better option for Edward than whatever was happening to him now?

Either way you looked at it I fucked up. I bowed my head as my insides squeezed tight. I felt on the verge of puking. Tears streamed down my cheeks like a river.

"I'm so sorry, little brother," I whispered. "I'll do whatever it takes to get you back," I vowed.

"Jasper?"

I looked up to find Sister Mary Alice standing next to me.

"He's gone," I said.

Her eyes unfocused and she stared off into space, seeing something I couldn't.

"Oh, God," she breathed.

"It's begun."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**A/N: Oh snap. **


	8. Chapter 7: June 20th & 21st, 2010

**A/N: Thanks for reading!**

**Thanks to my prereaders who keep me motivated and to my wonderful beta TwilightMomofTwo who often has to wear more hats than anyone can count to work with this stuff. Love you guys!**

**These two worlds don't belong to me. **

**This fic is rated M for malicious mind-fuckery. **

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"Hope you got your things together.  
>Hope you are quite prepared to die.<br>Looks like we're in for nasty weather.  
>One eye is taken for an eye."<p>

(_Bad__Moon__Rising,_ Creedence Clearwater Revival)

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Then:**

**(June 20th, 1890)**

_I twirled the daisy between my fingers, staring at the petals as if each were a moment in time. When the flower spun fast enough the petals blurred together, creating one cohesive blob of yellow. No one moment could be discerned from the others until I slowed the spin once more. _

_I could see them all—the players on the chessboard in front of me. _

_There was the boy they would find. The one that would remain hidden. And the horrible fate that they all would meet in the end._

_The game was in motion._

"_Alice," my sister called from the doorway of the mansion. I ignored her. I had already gleaned the information that she was about to deliver. There were exactly twenty five different ways in which she could tell me the news. She settled on the fourth option before traipsing down the few steps of the front porch._

_She sighed once she was before me._

"_You know that he expects your presence," she informed me, needlessly. I had already experienced this reprimand fifteen times in my subconscious. _

"_You know that I already know how this all plays out," I offered, casually. I also knew that my offering of this fact would not change the outcome of discourse that she had decided upon._

"_Don't do anything foolish," she warned, just as she had in option twenty prior to her arrival to this moment._

"_Do you know what is delightfully refreshing about my gift?" I asked, smiling up at her with a falsely cheerful expression._

_She stared down at me vacantly. She had not previously determined that I would respond in this manner. I was met with a fresh wave of possible immediate futures. I shifted those moments to the posterior chambers of my mind. _

"_I'm the only one who can see in a world filled with blindness," I told her. _

"_If he requests it," she replied with a hint of threat in her voice, "I will gouge out your eyes, little sister."_

_I simply smiled up at her—serene and detached. _

_In my mind's eye I could see where her vengeful heart would lead her one day. _

_I could also see my path to freedom. _

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Now:**

**(June 20th, 2010)**

**Lesson****7:**Faith is best left to sinners

**Edward PoV (Houston, Texas, 1:30 a.m.)**

We stepped out of the car only a few minutes after leaving the hotel. It was dark but the airport and jet were easy enough to recognize.

"Where are we going, Bella?" The destination didn't really matter. I'd follow her anywhere she wanted to go. I was just curious why we needed to fly.

"We're going to visit some friends in South America," she said.

"I don't have my passport," I warned.

"You don't need one when you own the jet, sweetheart," she promised.

We followed her friends on to the plane and she told me to sit in a seat near the window.

"Call Marcus. Let him know we have him," she instructed the big dude who had been the driver in the car.

"Who's Marcus?" I asked, only half interested in the answer. I really didn't care who he was. I only cared that I was with her.

"He's someone who has been looking for you for a very long time, Edward," she explained, rubbing the back of her fingers against my cheek.

I felt a fresh wave of need for her wash over me.

"Why does he want me?" I asked, wishing we had more privacy. I could feel the fire start to burn inside me once more.

"That's none of your concern right now, sweetheart," she whispered. "Why don't you sleep?"

As if her voice was a potent drug I closed my eyes and was instantly asleep.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Jazz PoV (June 20th, 2010, Houston, Texas, 7:30 a.m.)**

I poured the last of the booze into the shot glass, still sober enough to wonder why I bothered with the glass at all. I drank down the remaining liquid with a groan.

The burn wasn't hot enough.

The numbness wasn't dull enough.

The pain and the guilt were still cutting through straight to my soul.

"Dude…you should eat something," Emmett said from the other side of the hotel room.

I ignored him, twisting off the lid to the next bottle of rot gut.

"Son," Charlie said, reaching for the bottle as I refilled my glass.

"Kiss my ass," I slurred. "You two were supposed to help me keep him safe. The least you can do right now is let me kill my liver. I have to kill something…"

"That's not what you should be focused on annihilating," Charlie scolded.

I blew a raspberry in his direction. "When one of your can tell me what the fuck we're dealing with I'll kill it too."

"This is over my pay grade, pal," Charlie said, wrestling the bottle from my grasp.

I pouted like a two year old and nursed the remaining shot in front of me.

"So…nobody knows anything about this?" Em asked.

"Oh… she knows. She refuses to share, but she knows. That little…holy…pixie bitch…" I grumbled.

"The psychic?" Charlie asked.

Through the layers of inebriation those wayward puzzle pieces suddenly matched up.

"Oh, shit," I whispered.

"What?" they asked in unison.

I had only thought of Sister Mary Alice as covering up the past. I hadn't even considered the fact that she might know the future.

It all made sense now…well, that part of it did, at least.

"It's her…she's…I gotta get back to the hospital," I said, trying to get my legs under me.

"Jasper, you are barely in a fit state to make it to the can to puke, let alone the hospital. What do you need there?" Charlie asked.

"It's her…she's the one…" I tried to explain but for some reason the room decided to turn upside down.

"He's going down," Em laughed a second before I flopped against the floor.

"Alice…it's Alice…she's the one…" I rambled as everything went black.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Iz PoV (June 20th, 2010, La Push, Washington, 11:30 a.m.)**

I lit the candles and sat back, imagining my dad singing to me off key. I pictured a crowd of people around the table. My mom smiling at me. Jasper teasing me. Edward putting his arm over my shoulder and winking at me to reassure me everything would be okay.

A girl's eighteenth birthday was a big freaking deal. It was important that everyone she cared about was around her to celebrate such an occasion.

So naturally, I sat alone at the table.

I blew out the candles, closing my eyes and making the same wish I had every birthday since my mom passed away.

When I opened my eyes I knew that wish was still not granted.

_I__was__this__close,_I thought. Then I scolded myself for hoping in the first place. He was here three days ago. That was the closest to my wish that I had ever come.

"I smell fire!" Seth shouted from the hall. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm burning the house down," I offered sarcastically.

"Ah," he said as he entered the kitchen. "If you have a candle for each year you've been alive that _would_rival the weekend bonfire," he teased.

"Shut it, puppy," I teased back.

His laughter was just like him, youthful and energetic. "Slice it up," he said, grabbing a napkin.

"Um…okay," I pulled out a knife and served him a slice.

"Thanks, Izzy," he said, digging into the cake like it was a deer and he was a starved wolf. "You aren't having any?" he asked, realizing I was just watching him eat.

I shook my head. "Nah, I don't like lemon cake. I actually hate lemon flavored things. They literally make me sick to my stomach."

"Then…why did you make lemon cake?" The confused look on his face almost made me laugh.

"Because, someone I know…used to know…it was _his_favorite," I mumbled.

Seth's eyes bounced toward each entrance to the room before he leaned in and quietly asked, "Is this about that Cullen guy?"

I nodded. I didn't want to talk too much about Edward to any of the boys. Jake was their Alpha and they all were linked telepathically when they were in wolf form. Anything I confided in Seth would ultimately end up in Jake's mind whether Seth wanted it to or not.

_Course__…__it__'__s__not__like__I__have__anything__to__hide__from__Jake__where__Edward__is__concerned__anyway,_ I reminded myself. It was just…Jake was jumpy around even the word 'Cullen'. I didn't want to make my stay at his family home anymore awkward than it already was.

"Isabella," Sam, Jake's second in command, greeted as he entered the backdoor.

"Seth, you're up for patrol," he commanded, eyeing the crumbs around the kid's mouth. "Wash up before you head out," he added.

"Later, Izzy," Seth said, playfully punching my shoulder on his way out. "Thanks for the cake…oh and," he said, turning back to give me a bear hug. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks," I mumbled.

"I'm sorry that there's not much to do around here," Sam offered to cut the awkward silence that followed Seth's exit.

"Oh, there's tons to do," I lied. "My dad would flip over the satellite TV alone. I think they have a thousand channels or something ridiculous like that," I said, cleaning up the counter from Seth's cake attack.

"Jacob wanted me to remind you to stay in doors. He senses something is happening today."

"Something with Edward?" I asked, without thinking.

Sam offered me a pitiful look, nodding slightly.

"He doesn't have to worry," I assured him quickly. "I'll stay inside until he tells me I can go home."

He watched me with a serious expression, like I'd just challenged his honor or something.

"This is your home now too, Isabella," Sam said. "You are a charge of the Pack. We will watch over you the way we did your mother. What's ours is now yours," he vowed.

I knew that already. Jake had made a point to pledge that promise to me as soon as we moved to Washington. It still felt weird being here, though. This wasn't my home. This was a great place, full of very kind and protective people.

But this wasn't my home.

"Thanks," I said, heading up stairs to the guest room. I closed the door behind me and slid down to the floor with my back against it.

"Keep him safe," I pleaded to whatever force could hear me and watch over him.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Jazz PoV (June 20th, 2010, Houston, Texas, 2:15 p.m.)**

I drummed my fingers on the seat next to me as I sat with my legs propped up on the pew in front of me. My head ached, but it was a dull pain that was easily ignored. I was filled with a steady pulse of rage that kept me focused.

Charlie eyed me speculatively, and Emmett inspected the tiny crosses on the walls. I had told them what happened in this room yesterday.

"What do you suppose all of these others have in them?" Em asked, running his hand along the wall to check for seams.

I shrugged. "Don't know, and don't care. I'm only interested in the one she can open."

"Let me see that picture again," Charlie asked. "Damn, that really has to be her," he said, referring to the fact that the girl in the middle had to be Renee.

His eyes welled up with tears and he looked away as he handed the picture back to me.

"Any clue who the other two are?" he asked, clearing his throat.

"The one on the right is probably Elizabeth Masen," I guessed.

He gasped. "You sure?"

"Yeah, she has Edward's eyes. I mean…I know it's in black and white but…those are his eyes." I stared into those eyes, wishing like hell I was looking into my brother's eyes instead.

"But Renee never met Elizabeth. She grew up in Forks…"

"And does anyone know anything about Elizabeth Masen?" I asked in annoyance. "Far as I remember that woman didn't exist. Carlisle used to search birth records in every damn county we entered just to see if she popped up."

"So she used an alias," Charlie countered.

"And so maybe Renee knew her as someone else. All I can promise you is that this is your wife and that's my brother's mother."

"So…you think the other one is your mom, then?" Emmett said, joining us at the pews.

I shrugged. The third face didn't mean anything to me. I couldn't see anything familiar in her features. If she was my birth mother the only thing she had ever given me was her last name.

"I don't care," I told them, truthfully. The only thing I cared about was why Sister Mary Alice thought we needed to see that picture in the first place. More specifically the only thing that mattered is what Sister Mary Alice knew at all.

As if on cue the security locks slid open on the doors behind us.

"I told you to come alone," she bitched as soon as she stepped inside the chapel.

"I don't give a shit what you told me," I offered her defiantly. The anger was bubbling over inside of me, forcing me to keep my eyes away from her. I knew seeing her golden eyes would rob me of this hate.

And I needed to hold on to the hate; it was the only thing keeping me moving right now. If I let go of that I'd be crushed under all this guilt and pain.

"You lied to me," I accused when she didn't respond.

"I've never lied to you, Jasper," she said. Her voice was barely more than a whisper. "I just haven't told you everything that I know."

"Lady, that's the kind of bullshit that got my dad turned into a car."

"Your dad's a what?" Emmett asked.

"I'll tell ya later," Charlie told him offhandedly. "Are you her?" he asked, turning his attention back to the pixie-sized nun. "The one who sent that note to me eighteen years ago?"

I didn't hear her respond, so she must have nodded. I could tell by the way Charlie's breathing sped that she must have said yes.

"Why the games?" I asked, wringing my hands to keep from punching something.

"I see the future…and it's not set in stone…it's hard to explain. I see decisions. Choices. Moments strung together to create a certain outcome. Some outcomes are definite, regardless of the decisions made to reach it. For instance, I knew Edward would be taken today. It didn't matter how much information any of us had. It was going to happen."

"Why didn't you just come right out and tell us that before?" Charlie asked.

She sighed. I could feel her eyes burning holes in the back of my head but I refused to turn around.

"Because in every scenario where I told you everything it just got worse. And if we continue this conversation the way you want to today, it will get worse."

"Worse than my brother being taken to away by some monsters?" I barked in frustration.

"Yes," she snapped back. "If you ever want to see your brother again you must listen to me."

"You know where he is?" I asked, narrowing my focus on to the pew in front of me.

"You know I know where he is."

"Then tell us so we can go get him," Charlie argued.

"The time's not right…and you're not ready…" she mumbled.

"Stop it!" I screamed, kicking the pew in front of me with enough force that it flipped over. I stood slowly, shaking with the rage rolling through me like thunder.

"Stop," I demanded with a low, threatening voice. "Your little God act isn't going to cut it anymore. If you know where he is, then you are going to tell us." I looked over my shoulder at her, meeting her eyes with a promise in my own. "One way or another."

Her face was cold, detached. I barely recognized the woman who had been a comfort to me in the darkest days of my life.

In fact, I barely recognized a human standing there.

She pulled off her wimple, removing the grey wig that it concealed. Her hair was short and jet black, just as it had always been. She tossed the coverings on the floor and peeled off the wrinkles from around her eyes. She flung the latex pieces on to the ground as well.

"That can't be possible," I murmured in shock.

It was her. The woman from my past. The _exact__same_woman from my childhood. She hadn't aged a day in the past fourteen years.

"What are you?" Charlie asked.

"I will not tell you that," she said plainly.

"Are you like them?" Em chimed in. "The things that took Edward…destroyed the car? The car…crap, is he _that_car?" he asked, looking over at me. I nodded, still unable to speak. "Car-lisle," he snorted.

Even I couldn't resist to smirk at that.

"Shut up, Emmett," Charlie grumbled.

"What are you?" I whispered, staring into her eyes that I now realized weren't human.

"I can't tell you that, Jasper. You need to…"

"Find out for myself?" I shouted, straight back on to the defensive.

"No," she whispered. "You have to just let it go. I warned you all to prepare you to deal with what would happen to Edward. You all know how to fight supernatural creatures. You all have found each other and banded together. That's that best we could hope for. It will be essential in the future."

"Lady, it's a future of your making. We could have stopped it…"

"The only way to stop this would have been for you to take your father's advice," she pointed out with an accusing look.

I shrunk back from that truth.

"What advice?" Charlie asked looking between the two of us. I looked away. "Jasper?" he insisted.

"Carlisle…he warned me to…if I saw signs that we were losing Edward…to…" I couldn't say it. Even now, not sure what I would find when I finally found Edward, I couldn't fathom actually killing him.

"Off Edward?" Charlie guessed. I didn't respond but I didn't need to. "Jesus, I always knew he was a hard-hearted son of a bitch."

"Well, he is more machine than man now."

"Shut up, Emmett," Charlie and I both yelled.

"Where is he?" I asked, not really giving a shit about what she was telling us. I needed to find my brother. I had to try to face this thing with him.

She shook her head. "No."

"I have ways, you know…I will find him somehow. Course they aren't safe ways, and I might not make it out alive. You want me to die finding him? I don't think you do, or else you wouldn't have wasted so much time keeping my ass alive."

She remained emotionless, standing as unnaturally still as a statue.

"The time isn't right," she repeated.

My breath sped as I started to lose the battle for control over my rage. I gritted my teeth. My heart pounded in my chest with a rush of adrenaline. I had to do something.

I pulled the .45 from my jacket pocket and aimed it at her head.

"Bullets can't hurt me," she informed me casually. "I thought you would have guessed that after the escapade in the Impala yesterday morning."

"That was you?" I asked in horror. "You made us crash?"

That same blank face stared at me, weighing her options on responses. "Partly. I was trying to warn you…when I found the two tailing you I decided to pro-act. I caught up with you long enough to send a warning to Charles. But I had to leave before they saw me. They never would have left town if they knew I was here."

"Send a warning to me?" Charlie asked, clueless.

She nodded. "I sent a text message to you from Edward's cell phone. Then I set up the garage for the wreckage."

"Don't you get tired of fixing the mistakes after the fact?" Em asked wryly. "Seems like it would have been easier to just warn Edward and Jasper before…"

"They aren't making decisions early enough," she interrupted. "I can only see an outcome once a decision is made. They know that. They are finding loop holes in my visions and using that to their advantage."

"So you don't really know how this all will play out then?" I theorized. "In reality there can always be a last minute change."

"Some things are destined to be. I told you that earlier. No matter how many different choices were made, Edward was going to be taken."

"We're wasting time," Emmett announced. "We need to get back to the car. And we need to find Edward. Forget this bitch. She's not talking."

"Yeah, I think you're right about that," Charlie agreed. They started to head for the door. "Jasper?"

I stared down the only person I thought I knew in this world. Sister Mary Alice had been the only real, true thing in my life. The only person who knew the real me. The calm to my rage.

"You coming, man?" Emmett asked.

I took a deep, steadying breath, closing the distance between the petite nun and myself. I glared into her eyes one final time, leaving the betrayal and hurt that I was drowning in on display for her to see.

"Who is this?" I asked, pointing to the third girl in the photo.

She stared back at me without blinking. She let a minute pass before she finally spoke.

"She's your mother."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Edward PoV (June 20th, 2010, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 5:30 p.m.)**

I sat on the ground in a small room where Bella had left me. I didn't know how long I sat there. I didn't care. Bella told me to sit here. I'd do anything she asked me to.

The door to the room opened and Bella stepped back inside with a man I didn't recognize.

"You have him under?" the man asked. His voice was familiar. It was a voice I remembered from a dream…a dream with my father when I was very young…

"Marcus wants him docile until he arrives. He's worried he'll try to escape unless he's under. Do you need it lifted to test him?" Bella asked.

I silently watched the exchange, not caring at all what they said. Bella was so beautiful that I was simply captivated by her presence.

"I can still do the test. Might not get the full reading since you're controlling parts of his brain. I've read this kid before, though, I can already tell you he's powerful," the man said.

"Edward, dear," Bella called, waving for me to stand. "This is Eleazar, he's going to ask you some questions. Please respond as honestly as possible," she requested. I nodded, sighing as she placed her hand against my cheek.

"Shit, you pretending to be his match or something?" Eleazar asked with a nervous laugh.

"As a matter of fact, yes. It's the only reason he came so willingly. The first one wasn't half as potent to him. This one…he'd march right into hell for her if she told him to."

"A bond that strong is only forged from birth. How did these two meet?" Eleazar asked, reaching out to examine my face, my eyes and turning my head from side to side. "I don't think I've heard of a match bonding before the change since…well, the big guy."

I stood complacent as he inspected me, because that's what Bella wanted.

"I have no doubt my sister set the meeting up. It's a double-edged sword. It helps now while I can still control his human mind but that means he'll find strength against us with her by his side."

"Well, then…lock him away in that dungeon of theirs till she's dead," Eleazar suggested.

"It's one option," Bella said.

The man lifted my arms and circled me to push on my back. I felt like a horse being inspected for purchase.

"What's the other?" Eleazar asked.

"She has another who wishes to claim her. If he were to do so before their bond could be completed…it would eliminate the issue."

"You ever met a Frosty who's lost his match? He'd be one empty motherfucker," Eleazar mumbled.

"Empty is so much easier to control than hostile," Bella noted.

"I'm assuming you don't remember what happened to his father, then?"

Bella made an aggravated sound in her throat. "The test, old man, we are running out of time."

"Right," he muttered. "What's your name, boy?"

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen," I replied.

"Where were you born?"

"In Chicago, Illinois," I responded. "How did I know that?" I asked myself out loud. No one, not even Carlisle knew where I was really born.

"Who are your parents?" 

"Elizabeth and Anthony Masen, and Carlisle Cullen," I told him, again shocked that I knew the answer. I had never been told the identity of my birth father.

"Who is your guardian?"

"Jasper Whitlock," I said, feeling a sinking feeling set into my stomach.

"You're losing him," Eleazar whispered to Bella.

"Edward, are you okay?" she asked, running her hand against my cheek. I didn't feel the same pull that I had when she touched me before. Instead I felt cold. Her skin was like ice against mine.

"Hurry up," she commanded.

"Look deep into your heart, Edward, what can you do?" he asked.

I closed my eyes and did as he said. For some reason images popped into my mind. Memories that centered around the same thing-everyone in my life at some point called me a mind reader. I even felt as though I could almost read minds. If only I could push my mind a little bit further…

"I can read minds," I told him, in total confusion of what was happening.

When I opened my eyes, Bella was gone. That chick from the herb store in Port Angeles was standing in her place next to Eleazar.

"What the fuck?" I asked, looking around. "Where am I?"

"And you lost him," Eleazar said.

"Damn, go," she barked, shoving him toward the door.

"Who are you? What happened to Bella…Iz? Where am I?" I demanded. I felt like I was waking up from a coma. Everything was hazy in my memory. This was worse than when I followed Tanya to that bar.

"Welcome home, Edward," she said, backing up towards the door. "Enjoy your stay."

She left, slamming the metal door shut behind her.

There were no windows along the walls. There was no furniture in the room. I stared at the metal door in terror.

"Trapped."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Iz PoV (June 20th, 2010, La Push, Washington, 8:15 p.m.)**

"Izzy?" Jake asked, knocking lightly on the bedroom door.

I shot a glance at the ceiling wishing I had just gone to sleep when I changed into my pj's a few minutes ago. I had been avoiding Jake since Dad dropped me off at his doorstep yesterday morning. Luckily he had been patrolling most of the day so not running into him had been easy.

"Yeah, come in," I called.

Jake pushed the door open slowly, smiling when he caught sight of me in my ratty pajamas and lightly braided hair.

"You look cute," he told me. I blushed, even though it didn't have quite the same feeling as when Edward had absently told me I looked pretty in my dress the other day.

_You__have__to__stop__doing__that,_ I warned myself. I couldn't compare every guy I met to Edward Cullen. That would only lead me to an empty single life.

"Thanks, you look exhausted," I told him, and he did. He had bags under his eyes and he hadn't even bothered putting on a his shirt.

"I patrolled as far south as the border to California. The Cullens said that tattoo artist was from there so I wanted to make sure her tracks were cold," he explained, sitting down on the bed facing me.

I felt awkward sitting on a bed in a my threadbare night clothes with Jacob Black. Not a good, slightly giddy kind of awkward that a girl might feel sitting with her boyfriend. More like a I-hope-he-doesn't-touch-me-right-now kind of feeling.

_Moron,_ I silently scolded myself. Jake was a good catch. He was strong, and rich. He was a nice guy who clearly liked me. And he was connected to this whole supernatural world so he was good with the weird that ruled my life.

_So why can't I find it in me to want him?_

"You okay?" he asked, probably using his wolf-senses to tell that I was uneasy.

I shrugged. "I don't know. I'm worried. I haven't heard from Dad all day. I wish he had taken me along. I feel restless…I want to help…"

"I'm glad he didn't take you along," he said, placing his hand gently on my bent knee.

I jerked away from his touch instinctively. "I'm sorry," I apologized when he pulled his hand back as if I had slapped him.

"I'm just on edge because I'm worried," I tried to explain.

He waved off the worry with a smile. "No worries, Izzy. I just wanted to come up here and wish you happy birthday…and uh…to give you this." He handed me a small black box with a red ribbon piled on top of it.

I swallowed hard as I stared at the unassuming box. It looked like a jewelry box. I detested jewelry. It just wasn't my thing. I always thought money could be put to better use than on some trinket hanging from my ears or wrapped around my finger. Plus I was clumsy and tended to lose small things so I worried that any high priced piece of jewelry would just end up in the garbage disposal of the kitchen sink within a week.

I wasn't sweating over the fact that Jake wanted to waste his money on something shiny for me though, I was nervous because jewelry usually meant something specific to the person who gave it as a gift. It meant something serious…something personal.

"Oh." Was the only brilliant response that I could come up with. I reached for the box with a shaky hand.

I pried back the lid with trepidation. The silver chain and silver charm that met my eyes were tasteful and understated.

"It's the mark of the wolf," he explained. "It marks you as a person under the protection of the Pack."

"My mom had a necklace like this," I remembered, running my finger over the intricate design etched into the silver medallion.

He nodded. "Yeah, she was given it when she was young. The Pack was sworn to her protection when the treaty was made."

"What is the treaty about? I mean…what was that woman?" I asked, removing the necklace from the box and scooted forward so that he could help me put it on.

"They are older than even the tribe…something that we don't really have a name for. Our ancestors called them the 'cold ones'."

I remembered that the woman who inked me had freezing cold hands.

"Do you know what they are?" I asked, turning to sit on my heels after he clasp the necklace in place.

He looked at the symbol hanging from my neck and smiled. "I don't know exactly. They aren't human…they're strong…I think they're pretty indestructible."

My heart leaped at the thought that those were the things after Edward. "I hope he's okay," I whispered.

Jake narrowed his eyes. "What is he to you?" he asked point blank.

I blanched at the tone of his voice. "He's one of my oldest friends."

"He's a jerk. You're always fighting with him. You told me he annoys you to no end," he defended.

I really couldn't argue with that. That was all true, in actuality. But I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as my protective nature took over.

"He might not be perfect but I don't want him to be harmed, Jacob," I offered with a stern look. "I can't help that I care about him."

That probably was not the wisest thing for me to confess.

Jake's easygoing happiness fell away and his features hardened with anger.

"It's too late for that now, Isabella," he informed me with a cold, detached voice. He stood to leave.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, unable to hide the panic from my voice.

"Don't worry about it. What's done, is done," he said leaving the room.

Fear spiked as I looked out the window at the full moon rising in the night sky.

"No…not Edward."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Jasper PoV (June 20th, 2010, Houston, Texas, 11:59 p.m.)**

Charlie and Emmett rented a flatbed to take the Impala back to Washington. Charlie begged me to come with them.

I couldn't go. My little brother was out there somewhere, all alone and in trouble. I had to find him.

Sister Mary Alice took off as soon as we left the hospital. I wasn't sure where I stood with her but I hoped for her sake she gave me my space. She wanted me to believe she was indestructible, but I knew the truth. Everything has a weakness. You just had to be patient and ruthless enough to find it.

I raised my glass, turning it over and pouring out the remaining booze as the hour shifted into a new day. Edward's birthday had come and gone without as much as a moody grumble from my brother.

"I'm sorry, Eddie," I whispered to the empty hotel room.

I packed up what little Edward had spread out through the room.

His wallet. His phone. Our suitcase. All the things that made up my life and didn't mean a damn thing if I couldn't find him. His pocket knife that I gave him for his thirteenth birthday was on the floor next to the door.

He never went anywhere without that stupid thing. It was barely sharp enough to pierce skin but Edward had beamed with pride like he was a real hunter when I gave it to him. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I'd stolen it from a gas station that same morning.

"Everything's so fucked up," I said, feeling my heart sink as I squatted down to pick up the knife.

I slid the blade back into the hilt and put the knife in my pocket, noticing a piece of paper that had fallen under the cooler. It was a card for a private jet service.

_Now__Jasper,_Carlisle's voice warned in my mind. _Just__because__you__found__proof__that__someone__who__has__been__in__this__room__at__some__point__needed__a__jet__doesn__'__t__mean__anything._

I snorted. "I'm staying at the Gigged Frog Motel," I said out loud. "People who stay in places like this can't afford private jets."

I pulled out my cell. I had a friend who worked in ATC. And that friend owed me a favor or two.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**A/N: One time offer, if you want to have spoilers for what this all is adding up to just let me know. Ask me your questions and I will answer them…mostly. **


	9. Chapter 8: June 25th, 2010

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I'm very excited to see your reviews, even though everyone doesn't want spoilers. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me and taking the time to review. It really does mean a lot to me! And just a reminder that I don't write on a schedule, but I am writing. As always, your patience is greatly appreciated. **

**And to Miss Rhea, I hope that I did your evilness justice. :0) **

**Thank you, Ms. Karina for your awesome Spanish translations. **

**Thanks to my prereaders and my beta! Your patience and support mean the world to me. **

**These two worlds don't belong to me. **

**This fic is rated M for Murder She Wrote, because I'm almost 90% positive that Jessica Fletcher was a witch…Didn't you all see _Bedknobs and Broomsticks_?**

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"She said, "There is no reason  
>And the truth is plain to see."<br>But I wandered through my playing cards  
>And they would not let her be<br>One of sixteen vestal virgins  
>Who were leaving for the coast<br>And although my eyes were wide open  
>They might have just as well been closed<p>

And so it was that later  
>As the miller told his tale<br>That her face, at first just ghostly,  
>Turned a whiter shade of pale"<p>

(_Whiter Shade of Pale_, Procol Harum)

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Then**

**(June 20th, 2005)**

_I scooted my butt back against the wall, trying to catch my breath._

"_Oh, shit…oh, shit…" I panted. _

_I was shaking from head to foot. Blood ran down my arms, pooling at my elbows and dripping on to the concrete. _

"_Calm down…calm down…" I chanted. I needed to keep it together. Losing it right now wasn't going to help me. _

_I pushed a jittery breath through my lips. I tried to count to ten. Dad told me that would help calm me in stressful moments like this._

One…two…

"_Oh, Edward…" he called._

_The shaking increased. _

"_Oh, shit," I breathed._

"_Come out, come out wherever you are…" he taunted sadistically._

_My skin crawled. "It's not him…It's not him…" I whispered to myself. _

_I remembered the passage that I read to Jasper last night. This was something possessing him. _

_A demon._

"Edward_…" _

_He was getting closer. _

I need to get up. Keep running_. _

_I looked at Jazz's blood running down my arms._

_I was frozen in place._

How can he do this to us?

"_You know…he told me you'd be the harder one to find," he told me. _

_Fear gripped me, holding me in place. I knew it wasn't Carlisle talking but it was his voice. Hearing my father say these kinds of things to me, to do the things he had done to my brother and was promising to repeat with me…it was my number one fear. _

_I had never been able to fully trust Carlisle Cullen._

"_He's always wanted to kill you…" the demon baited me with my worst fear._

"_No," I moaned, unable to stop the sound from escaping my tortured chest._

"_Gotcha!" _

_I sprang to my feet just as his blood-covered hands reached out for me._

_I screamed with all the strength left in me when he caught me, swinging me up and throwing me against the wall like I was a rag doll._

_I cowered against the floor, tears and blood and useless pleas spilling from me like water through a sieve. _

"_No…please…no…" I blubbered. I knew I was weak. It was useless to cry in the face of a threat. _

_Rule number sixteen: Fear will get you killed._

"_Look at you," the demon who was my father spat. "All this trouble and you're just a pathetic pussy."_

_He laughed as I shook with terror._

"_What did you do to…my brother?" My voice cracked as I realized I didn't know if Jazz was alive or dead._

"_What do you care? You ran like a scared little bitch. I think Jasper would rather die than know how much of a coward his little brother is."_

_He knelt down slowly. His black eyes watched me like he was a lion and I was the deer he was about to eat._

_I shuddered. _

"_What did you do with those girls?" I asked, meeting his blackened stare._

_My father's face twisted with psychotic delight._

"_The same thing I'm going to do to you," he promised._

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Now:**

**(June 25th, 2010)**

**Lesson 8: **Lies will keep you alive

**Jasper PoV (Sinton, Texas)**

"No, please! No!" the young girl screamed.

"This is so wrong," I murmured, watching as the kid cowered back against the wall. Her father was on his knees in front of me, blubbering for pity.

"Do it, Jasper," _she _said, running her fingers through my hair as if she were petting her prized beagle.

I slapped it away. "I'll cut your damn hand off the next time you do that," I warned with a snarl.

Her laugh twisted my guts. "You'll grow out of that."

"Bite me," I challenged, snapping my teeth in her direction as she laughed once more.

"Oh, come on," she said, pouting as she looked up at me. "What happened to that nice young man I met the other day?"

_Good fucking question._

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**(June 21st, 2010)**

"Tell me why I'm in Sinton, Eric," I barked at my cell phone while I checked in to the one motel this crappy town had to offer.

"The only private jet booked for late last night in Houston was chartered by a company with an office in Sinton," he explained.

"What's the company?"

"V Inc."

"What's the _V_ stand for?"

There was a pause. "Um…nothing. It's just V Inc."

"Where was the jet heading?"

"Dunno. The manifest is sealed. You sure there wasn't some diplomat or someone really important traveling with your brother?"

I frowned, feeling a fresh ulcer burn a hole in the lining of my stomach. "No, I'm not sure."

"Well, records usually aren't as guarded as this without some high level authorization. You're positive you want to get involved in this?" he asked.

Of course I was sure about that. What I wasn't positive about was dealing with Eric Yorkie. The dude was a pencil-pushing, pansy-ass little weasel, but he owed me a favor—a lot of favors, actually.

"They have my brother," I reminded him.

_Didn't that mean shit to anyone else?_

"Right…" I could hear papers being shuffled and the clicking of computer keys. "The address for the company hasn't been updated in a few years but I'll text it to you."

I hung up, knowing that Yorkie wouldn't be overly offended by me not saying goodbye.

"What the hell does this all add up to?" I asked, feeling rather than telling my body to sit down on the edge of the bed.

I tried to apply the techniques that Dad had burned into my brain since retrieving me from the orphanage all those years ago.

_Rule number four,_ I told myself. _What do I know? _

I sorted through the facts swirling in my head. It was impossible to narrow down anything definitive. We'd gone through a gauntlet of lies lately. I wasn't sure what was real anymore. Things I had sworn by for as long as I lived were fading like ghosts now.

Sister Mary Alice… _Fuck that, just plain Alice, _I thought. She wasn't a nun. She wasn't even human. She was whatever those things that took my brother were. I had trusted her more completely than anything, even more than Carlisle, for as long as I could remember. If she was lying to me…

I refocused my thoughts on the facts; getting lost in the most recent episode of _Jasper Cullen, this is your fucked up life_ wasn't going to help me right now. I cracked my knuckles and walked back through the last week in my head.

The company, V Inc. was important. I didn't recognize the name. And the title didn't really chuck out any theories about the product it created. Product. That cream that the tattoo chick was shoving off on the girls in Port Angeles was based in Houston. Maybe V Inc. had something to do with that.

I pulled the container of the stuff from my duffel and read the label. _Manufactured in Brazil. _

_Great,_ I whined internally. _Looks like I'm heading down south. Good thing I had those passports made._

So there was the cream and the company and a possible new location south of the border. That led me back to the tattoo chick. She worked nasty hoodoo, even carried the symbols on her own body. I searched the duffel again and pulled out the journal that Edward had started that second night I picked him up in Chicago.

I flipped through the pages, hunched down right there on the floor like I didn't have the time to sit at the desk in the corner. There was so much information crammed into each line of the book that my eyes started to cross. I groaned, pinching the spot between my eyes.

_Being the Edward is too fucking hard on my brain._

This was so much more his thing than mine. I could beat my head against a wall for the next hundred years and never figure out what all of this meant, but he probably had it all figured out already.

There was a tab down at the bottom right corner that caught my eye. I flipped to it and the header made me snort out loud - _The Jazz version._

"Smartass," I mumbled, scanning the pages that had stuff spelled out with less big words than the previous chapters. I made a mental note to punch him in the stomach the next time I saw him, but was thankful for it too.

I read the entry for California, as much as I could make out, that is. Edward had stopped taking his pills right before we hit Lone Pine. I could tell by the disconnected thoughts on the page that he was already showing signs of whatever it was that started controlling him then.

For the hell of it I flipped back to the days we'd spent with the Swans in Phoenix. His thoughts were much more organized on those days.

I smiled as I ran my finger over his notes about Iz. He called her _Bella _when he wrote about her. It was obviously an unconscious slip.

"I told you to stop that," I teased his invisible presence. He hadn't called her Bella since we were kids.

_Renee was killed by the thing that killed Esme and Tanya,_ I read. _I have no way of knowing the cause but I have ruled out random violence. This creature moves like a demon, hunts like a monster and slaughters the most innocent amongst us. All three bodies were exsanguinated, but the amount of blood reported at the crime scenes was too low, leading me to conclude that the monster drinks blood._

I tapped my finger against the paper, an unbelievable thought popping into my mind and right back out.

"Vampires don't exist, Jasper," I muttered to myself with a nervous laugh.

Like a flash of lighting I saw images line up in my mind. Alice's unchanging features. The speed with which those things followed the car. The blood. The frozen feel of Alice's hands against my shoulder when I was a child.

I shook my head. "Get a fucking grip, moron," I demanded. My brain was seriously cracking. I read one note about a monster drinking blood and I started making out like Bela Lugosi was hunting us down?

"I need a fucking vacation."

I read on. Edward had pieced together that Renee was under the protection of the wolves from La Push, and after the showdown in PA we found that whatever these things were, they were afraid of the wolves. That didn't really help me much, though. The wolves weren't exactly friends.

I texted Charlie, mainly to find out how Dad was but I told him to prod the wolves about the treaty. They had to know what we were up against. Maybe without the Cullens in town that Jacob kid would talk.

I continued to flip through the book, astounded by the sheer volume of information that Edward could pull together. He had linked almost every monster that we'd fought since Lawrence to this one big case.

"You're so much like Carlisle," I said, remembering the way our dad could link the most random information into a solid case.

_We must have monster magnets in our pockets,_ he scribbled in the margins on one page. I chuckled. It did seem like evil was always drawn to our family.

I stumbled on to the most intriguing entry next - Tanya. _I've narrowed down her appearance as something external to my mind. She's more than a fantasy or vision. She operates outside of my subconscious, too. When I was under the sanctuary of the Denali forest, I was free of her. She first appeared in Lone Pine. The pills must have kept my mind protected. Side note: after talking to Charlie today, I'm positive that the pills were a factor, though not as I had originally thought. I was protected from being found. Once they knew who I was, my mind was vulnerable to suggestion. Still unknown how the suggestion is taking hold._

I thought back to Lone Pine. He said Tanya first appeared there. "If the chick with the tats was looking for us back then…then that whole bit with the mountain devil was staged…" I hypothesized.

There was an entry from last week in Sequim: _The mountain devil is a pet of the thing we know as Cris. It's a cursed sigil…a creature trapped within the ink tattooed on her flesh. It is under her control, as the tattoos that Bella and the other girls will eventually be for them. It is an unbreakable blood curse - the oldest magic. _

That confirmed what I figured about the creature, what we had already talked about back in Port Angeles.

"So if she was just fucking with us…" I thought back to that first night in Lone Pine. The banging on the door, the way Edward slipped out of consciousness when we heard the knocking. "That phantom traveler at the hotel was…A way into his mind," I guessed.

I closed my eyes. We were so stupid to think we could fight this. This had been planned since before Edward was even born. We couldn't fight this.

"_Look, Jasper," _I remembered Dad telling me. _"We have to keep Edward safe. The day his mother died, there was a note left for me at my house that warned her child was their next target."_

"We held it off as long as we could," I whispered, dropping the journal back down into my duffel bag with a huff. My head hurt, and I was done with trying to riddle everything out right now. I had pieces but not the entire puzzle. I narrowed down the how and why we had ended up here, but hell if any of us knew what was going to happen next.

My phone buzzed in my hand.

"Un-fucking-believable…" I muttered, hitting the okay button without saying hello.

"Don't do this," she said.

I snorted. "Or what? You'll make me say seven 'Hail Marys'?"

She groaned. I got a slight satisfaction out of that sound. "You're such a pain in the head."

"Pain in the ass too," I added, flopping back on to the bed. "What do I have in store for me now, oh great magic eight-ball of doom?"

"Do you remember when you were a boy and I gave you a copy of _Dune _for your birthday?"

"Yeah…that never made sense to me. I was seven. What seven year old reads Herbert?"

She released a second frustrated breath into the receiver. "I didn't expect you to read it that second, Jasper."

I rolled my eyes. "Go on."

"Did you ever?"

"Read it? Yeah. It was pretty boring… And completely bogus. I prefer ghosts over drug-taking, pee-drinking aliens."

"The purpose of the exercise was not to entertain you," she replied flatly.

I glared at the ceiling. This conversation took me straight back to my childhood, back to when Sister Mary Alice would teach me philosophy as a tool to help me ease my aggression. I tried to remember the dumb book she was talking about.

"The dude gets visions?" I guessed randomly.

"The dude is trapped by his future," she supplied.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Paul sees a vision of his destiny and thus follows it. What philosophical end can we deduce from this?" she prompted.

Automatically I responded. "That his actions were ruled by the outcome that he believed already existed. It was…only his destiny because he couldn't see any other end."

I quirked a brow as I realized what I had just said. It didn't bode well for my badass ego to be so philosophical.

"Exactly," Alice said with a hint of pride in her voice.

I let that theory sink in for a minute. I got what she was hinting at. That if you have a road indicated to you, you're usually more likely to take that one instead of looking for the right one. There were so many damn decisions that were made in a day. Too many choices in a lifetime.

_What one little alternate choice would it have taken to not lose Edward?_

"Did you see this coming?" I couldn't hide the intrigue from my voice. Her gift fascinated me, even if her application of it pissed me off.

"Yes," she admitted simply. "The second you found out that Edward had been taken, I saw an image of you lying on that bed with the god awful pastel flower covered bedspread."

I turned my head unconsciously, seeing the exact bedspread that she was describing and sprang into a sitting position as if the bed had just caught fire. I looked around nervously, feeling like Big Brother, or rather Little Sister, was watching me.

"So, you already know what I'm about to say?" I swallowed.

Her end of the line was silent.

I held the phone away from my ear far enough to glare at it for a second.

"What did we _just _discuss?" she asked.

"I'm not the one who can see the future," I pointed out.

"But for you to know your fate, you will lead yourself to said fate," she countered.

"You focus on the wrong damn point of this argument every time," I argued. "_You're _the vision dude. You're the one who saw everything before it happened and you're the one who is making this play out the way it is."

She was silent again.

"I preferred you when you were all about sex and booze," she grumbled, making me genuinely chuckle.

_Gotcha._

"No one should know the end of the story before it's even written," I quoted with a somber twist of my lips as my mood shifted again.

"What is that? It sounds familiar."

"It's the rule Edward made up. Rule number thirty nine."

"What is it with you Cullen men and your list of rules?"

"They've kept us alive."

"I've kept you alive," she remarked.

"I'm gonna hang up on you," I warned dryly.

"I know," she returned, just as matter of fact. "Just…please… don't go there tomorrow. Don't give in to her," she warned... more like pleaded.

"_Her_?" I asked standing and walking toward the bathroom. "Do I have sex in my near future? Please say yes. It's been a long, dry spell for the _Little General_. Unless you count make believe, dream sex with that role play group…" I still wasn't exactly sure how real any of that crap was.

"Jasper, my respect for you will reduce significantly should you copulate with this female." The tone of her voice did something to my spine. It was part fear, part excitement. I shivered from the feel of it. There was a possessiveness in her voice that echoed in me.

I wanted to laugh out loud at the thought. I had one seriously fucked up relationship with this chick.

"Are you," I smirked, "jealous?"

"Hardly," she spat with a little too much venom to be true. "I will be disappointed in you if you take the path you are set on now."

"I'm heading to the shower…maybe to the crapper right before I hop in. How is that letting you down?"

"You know what I'm talking about. Don't go to that place tomorrow. It's a trap."

"Trap? What the hell are you talking about?"

The phone went silent again and I hung up before she could drag me into another twenty minute debate. The phone buzzed on the counter in the bathroom as I turned the water on for my shower. I ignored it and enjoyed the few minutes that I had to myself.

The water was scalding hot, just the way I liked it. I washed my body, wishing I could melt my flesh off. I was useless to anyone who had ever turned to me for help. Maybe if I could shed this skin I could be something better, someone who could actually help people.

_Look after your brother, Jasper. I'm counting on you to protect him. He needs us to protect him._

I leaned against the tile wall with tears streaming down my face. I was such a worthless sack of shit.

_You had one damn job in your life, moron. _

_Promise me, Jasper. Promise me that one day…when the time is right that you'll kill him._

I stared with unfocused eyes as the guilt ate through my muscles from the inside out. I was too weak to move even though my skin was turning red from the heat of the water. If only I'd had the strength to kill him.

"No," I snarled at the thought. I would save him. I'd get him out of there and we'd deal with whatever was going to happen next.

I got dressed, ignoring the four missed calls from the petite profit. The best way to end this pity party was a stop off at the local liquor store.

"We're a dry county after eight p.m. on a Friday night," the barely teenage clerk told me when I asked why the booze was locked up.

"Wait…you mean I'm stuck in this shit-hole town without the promise of at least getting drunk?"

"Dude, bummer, right?" he replied with a bob of his head. I resisted the urge to smack his ass back into the time of _Bill and Ted. _

I bought a case of _Red Bull _instead.

Twenty minutes later I was sitting in the motel room with my knee jumping so hard I was pretty damn sure my leg was going to tear off from the force.

"Probably shouldn't drink the whole case that fast," I mused sarcastically.

To keep my mind busy while I tweaked like crack addict I channel surfed. I was excited to find the Soap Network.

"Up next, _General Hospital,_" the commercial announced. I perked up at the news. "With the anniversary showing of…" My eyes grew wide as clips started to play.

"Ah crap, not the episode where Stone died," I croaked as my eyes welled up with tears. The commercial went all melancholy and I choked up.

"Oh, for the love of fuck," I exclaimed, scrubbing my eyes and reaching for my phone and scrolling through my messages to find the address that Yorkie sent me.

Now seemed like just as good a time as any to check out the company office.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Maria PoV (Sinton chapter of V Incorporated)**

"I told you to get the pass codes," I growled, ripping my hand from Peter's grasp.

"I'm sorry," he pleaded, falling to his knees in front of me and kissing my feet. "They killed the two guards that I sent in," he explained between kisses. "I couldn't risk them seeing me. That would lead them to you."

He kissed my feet two more times before I kicked him away. He remained on his knees with his head bowed.

"I should burn you right now," I warned. "Charlotte, I'm gonna fry your mate," I told the brunette standing watch with the rest of my guard.

"If it pleases you, Mistress," she replied with a reverent look.

I rolled my eyes. "You all are bat shit crazy, you know that? _Todos ustedes están locos_." I released a maniacal laugh when all of their heads nodded in agreement.

"Having fun?" Riley asked, stepping around the corner of the building.

"Why haven't I manipulated you, again?" I asked, wishing he'd come on this mission without his shirt like I had asked him to do.

"Your power doesn't work on me," he reminded me with a smirk. He tapped his finger to the side of his temple. "Shield, remember?"

I sighed, pouting. Riley laughed. "Oh, please. You can charm the pants off of every other soul on Earth. Stop acting like someone shot your pony."

"I don't want a pony," I huffed. "I _want _that damn list."

"Patience, my lovely," he said, rubbing the back of his fingers against my cheek.

"Mistress," the little wiry kid that Riley insisted we adopt back in Baton Rouge hailed.

"What?" I sighed, not really interested.

"There is a man approaching the building." He sniffed the air, pointing toward the north end of the structure.

I gave Riley a disbelieving stare.

"I told you, Ben has an exceptional sense of smell," he reminded me.

"Is he alone?" I asked the kid.

He nodded. "Yes…and he is carrying a," he sniffed once more, "crowbar."

"Damn good sense of smell," I muttered. "Looks like we have competition," I presumed.

"Who would be stupid enough to break into the warehouse at night?" Riley whispered.

I shot him a look that spoke the obvious.

"Other than us," he replied.

"Don't know." I sniffed, smelling blood – human blood. My lips curled into a sinister smile. "Let me talk to him… _alone_," I commanded, waving everyone back to the cover of the trees behind the building.

As the young man crossed the street I caught a full hint of his essence.

"Can't be," I whispered.

I had smelled that blood only once before. "_Esme_," I breathed, remembering a whole other life.

"What is it?" Riley asked, on edge. He sniffed the air, shaking his head stiffly once he too caught the scent. "He stinks."

"He smells like a Chosen," I informed him.

"I thought the only Chosen left was already in custody in Brazil?"

I shook my head. "There was one…one that they could never prove had or hadn't been born. I bet that's the kid." I inclined my head in the boy's direction.

"What does that mean for us?" he asked with a scheming twist of his lips.

I smirked back in response.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Jazz PoV**

"Goddamn GPS," I grumbled as I turned down yet another alleyway. I had mapped the distance from the motel to the address that Yorkie sent me to determine if I could just walk it. My alternate form of transportation wasn't exactly the best for covert situations.

I missed the shit out of the Impala.

It was hard as hell to sneak up on a situation on a motorcycle. And although the crotch-rocket wasn't my first choice of transportation, the other vehicle that the rental place had was a minivan. There was no way in hell that I was going to ride in to save my brother in the soccer-mom-mobile.

So I walked in a circle for ten blocks in the middle of the night.

"Edward is better with maps and directions," I reminded myself.

Finally I turned the last corner and was happy to see the obnoxiously neon sign for V Inc. "Doesn't look too threatening to me." It looked like an every day office building.

"Oh, it's much more than threatening, I assure you," a female voice warned behind me.

My shoulders stiffened at the sound. I heard Alice's warning in my head.

_This must be the '_her' _she was talking about._

I turned gradually, hiding my caution behind a charming smile. "Well, hi there," I offered.

She smiled slowly at me, like a cat staring down a soon to be dead mouse. I stared back, dumbfounded. She was one of the most beautiful women I'd ever seen. The more I looked at her, the more I couldn't remember ever seeing someone as gorgeous as her. I dropped the crowbar that I'd planned on using on the back window of the building, unable to do anything but stare at her.

"What's your name?" she asked, her words were wrapped in a slightly Spanish accent that only made her more alluring. She took a step closer to me, and I wanted to whimper at her feet.

"Jasper," I replied, breathless with the hope that she would repeat it.

"Jasper," she purred, reaching her hand out to grab mine. At the cool touch of her skin I fell to my knees in front of her, overwhelmed by the intensity of the energy pulsing from her body to mine. I felt like I finally found where I belonged. Like I'd rip the heart out of anyone who tried to hurt this woman. That whatever she wanted, I would give her.

"My name is Maria, but you can call me _Rhea_, pleased to meet you."

_Rhea…_Her named echoed in my head as if it were a prayer. The sweetest word I'd ever heard.

"Would you like to help me, Jasper?" she asked, holding may hand between both of hers. I nodded vigorously.

"Anything for you," I pledged.

"There's something I need you to get for me, out of that building." She nodded toward the very building I had been planning on breaking into.

"You got it," I promised.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

The rest of the night passed in an adoring-Rhea-filled haze. I found myself back in my motel room hours later with vague memories of breaking into the building and stealing a flash drive from a desk. I couldn't remember why I had done it, or even who else was there; all I could remember was that Rhea had told me she was proud of me.

I drew my shirt over my head and lay down on the bed, exhausted. I didn't even have the energy to take my boots off. I floated off to sleep with thoughts of Rhea and all the ways that I could continue to please her.

I came to, sensing that I wasn't alone in the hotel room. I kept my eyes closed and my breathing shallow. Whatever was here was silent as it moved. I could feel a charge in the air, almost like a telltale sign of a ghost's presence.

I rolled to my left just as my visitor lunged for the bed. I could tell that I was dealing with a female when I felt the knee jerk toward my crotch. Luckily I moved to the right just in time to catch the blow on my hip instead.

"Fuck," I cursed under my breath. Whoever this chick was, she was strong.

"That's what got you into this mess," she shrieked, gripping her small hands around my upper arms and tossing me out of bed like I was a rag doll.

I slammed against the floor, groaning as my head immediately started to throb.

"Alice?" I asked, groggily.

"Why do you have to be such a stupid male?" she complained, turning on the lamp next to the bed. The soft orange glow made her look even less human than she had the last time I saw her.

"Those with dicks act like one," I offered, closing my eyes to keep the room from spinning.

"What the hell are you?" I asked, absently.

"A really pissed off immortal," she spat.

"Really?" I asked, looking up at her in awe. "Like the _Highlander_?"

She rolled her eyes as she walked toward me. "No. Nothing like that. And stop trying to change the subject," she growled.

I rubbed my head, propping myself up on one elbow to glare at her. "I have no clue what the subject is…my dick?" I guessed.

She growled again. "No. I can't blame you for having one. Her charms work on women too." She heaved a sigh as she sat cross-legged on the floor in front of me in one fluid motion.

"What brings you by, short stuff?" I asked casually.

"I told you to stay away from her," she said, a forlorn look in her eyes.

"I didn't go looking for her…she was just…there…" My voice dropped off as I got lost in the haze of my memory again. "I don't really remember what happened," I confessed.

"That doesn't bother you?" she probed, searching my eyes like she couldn't find me in them.

I shrugged. It didn't bother me. When I thought about last night, I remembered Rhea, and I was calm with that thought.

"I'll ask her about it when I meet back up with them tonight," I told her reassuringly.

Alice shook her head, standing and pacing the room with unnatural speed.

"You're such an idiot, Jasper. How could you let her touch you…and did you… Oh God I couldn't see you last night, did you let her _kiss_ you?" She stopped directly above me, her face contorted in terror.

I thought back to last night once more. "Um…I don't think so. Why?"

She sighed, resuming the speed-pacing. "Because once she kisses you, you're hers forever. Right now you're just under her influence but you can think freely…for the most part. Once she kisses you…"

"Hang on," I said, holding my hand to stop her. "Are you saying you think she's got some kind of spell over me?"

She shook her head softly. "No."

I nodded, waving her back to her pacing.

"I'm saying that she's seduced you into becoming one of her drones, and if you let her kiss you, you'll be her slave forever."

I gawked up at her with a slack jaw.

"She's like me," she said sadly, waving a hand toward her chest. "Only she doesn't see things like me…she controls things. She's going to use you, Jasper. Whatever she promised you. Whatever she told you she could do for you…it's a lie. Please stay away from her."

I didn't know what to make of Alice's tantrum. I couldn't believe anything bad about Rhea. No matter how hard I tried to stay objective and skeptical of the situation it just wasn't in me to believe she could be bad. The thought of never seeing her again made my chest seize up as if someone were crushing my heart.

"What do I have to do to get you to stay away from her?" Alice whispered in agony.

Rhea's face flashed in my mind and I couldn't deny the pull that just the thought of her had on my body. There wasn't anything Alice could say or do to keep me from going back to her.

"She'll be the death of you, Jasper. Mark my words."

I shrugged. "We all have to go some time, right?"

"That's not you talking," she argued, speeding across the room to cup her hands on either side of my face. "So help me…I've got to get you back." She pressed her hands firmly against my cheeks.

Unlike the chilling tingle of Rhea's skin against mine, Alice's hands burned. It was a heat more profound than anything I'd ever felt pulsed from where she touched me to every corner of my body.

I gasped at the sensation.

_What the hell is it with women touching me this week? _I idly thought, losing myself once again.

"What do I have to do to get you to leave this place?" she whispered, staring straight into my eyes.

I flinched but couldn't turn away. "What are you doing to me?" I asked breathlessly.

"I didn't want to force this on you. I wanted you to have free will, when so many of us have been robbed of that for so long."

Her words didn't make any sense to me, but somehow I didn't care. I rose up on to my knees in front of her, feeling a pull devastatingly stronger than the one Rhea had over me.

"What is this?" I asked in wonder. My vision shifted, allowing me to see Alice through different eyes. I couldn't explain it, but she was mine. All mine. And more importantly, I was hers. I'd spend the rest of forever being whatever she wanted me to be.

"Shh," she shushed me as she leaned forward and softly placed her lips against mine.

My heart jumped in my chest, beating wildly out of control. I tried to deepen the kiss but she pulled away slightly.

"What is this?" I repeated, nuzzling my face against her cheek and into the crook her neck. I drew in her scent. Had she ever smelled like that before? I pressed my lips tenderly to her skin.

"It's hard to explain," she sighed, rubbing her chin against my cheek. "And yet it needs no explanation at all."

She pushed away from me and I whimpered, clutching my hands to her sides and pulling her back.

"Don't leave me," I begged, snuggling my face against her chest.

"I have to, Jasper. This is wrong…" Her voice cracked. "It's wrong to force you into this just to spare you from that…" she tried to explain.

"You're not forcing me into anything, Alice," I said, pulling back far enough to look into her eyes. "This feels…_right_," I promised, and I meant it. I had never felt like I belonged anywhere in this world. I was an outsider at the orphanage, a second fiddle as a Cullen. My only 'right' place to be was knee deep in demon guts followed quickly by a bottle of booze. Something had always been missing inside of me, but holding her in my arms at that moment I felt whole.

Her stare softened as she looked at me, running her fingers through my hair while she smiled wistfully. "I don't know if it's right but it's what we're programmed to believe is right…maybe this is what fate really is all about."

"Seriously, woman," I half teased- half whined. "What in the hell are you talking about?"

She leaned against me, content to let me sit on my knees staring up at her. "I saw this moment, you know. Right before they did it…right before they dosed me. I saw you staring up at me like this and I was…at peace. Two hundred years ago, I saw this and I knew where I belonged."

I shook my head. "Alice, that made even less sense than what you were talking about before."

"I can't explain it to you now, Jazz," she offered sadly, cupping her hand to the side of my face. "I wish like hell that I could. Let's just say…we're a matched pair. Not that it helps," she mumbled.

I turned to touch my lips to the center of her palm. "It's okay, baby," I promised. "I'm not going anywhere."

She sighed, the look of resignation on her face putting me on edge. "What?"

"I have to take it back…I need to stay focused and I can't do that feeling this." She waved a hand between us and took a step away from me. My arms fell helplessly at my sides.

"What do you mean…take it back?" My heart was hammering in my chest. I wasn't exactly sure what was going on but I knew that look on her face meant I was about to go back to being empty Jazz.

"I don't know how many more times I can do this to you," she whispered so quietly I wasn't sure that she was talking to me.

"Do what?"

"The first time was an accident. I had no clue that this could happen… and then you were so angry for so long after…you felt abandoned and I couldn't tell you why…" she rambled, pacing again.

I stood, catching her around the waist on her next pass. "What in the holy hell are you talking about?"

"This," she said, laying her hand against my naked chest, right over my heart. I couldn't help the sigh that escaped me as she touched me. "The first time I met you…when I met your mother actually…I felt it. I just knew. And it wasn't until I took you to Forks that I realized I had to close the connection. At least until you were older."

"Wait, you mean…you've felt this all of my life?" I felt like the ground was falling out from under me.

She nodded solemnly. "But it's wrong for me to use it as a tool now. What's done is done. I have to…" she gasped, her body going rigid as her eyes unfocused.

"Alice!" I shouted catching her as her legs gave out. "Alice, what's wrong?" I carried her to the bed, cradling her to me in fear.

"No…no…why did you have to be so stupid…" she groaned. I rocked her in my arms, feeling my heart break into a million pieces.

"What's gonna happen?" I asked, knowing that she'd just had a vision.

"I see pain, Jasper. So much pain." Her voice was a hollow whisper that scared the crap out of me.

"Who's in pain? Is it…Edward?" My voice cracked as I asked. I had almost forgotten all about Edward in the tumble of emotions that these women were throwing at me in this town.

She shook her head and I was slightly relieved. "No…it's me."

I felt like someone had stabbed straight through the heart with a white hot dagger. "I won't let anyone hurt you," I vowed.

"It's too late," she proclaimed, jumping out of my arms and putting infinite distance between us. She cast her eyes away from me and I felt like all warmth was draining from my body.

"Alice," I whispered. I couldn't stop what was happening. I felt like I was running down a dark hallway toward a bright light but just before I got there a door slammed in my face. In an instant I was back on my knees in the middle of the room. Cold. Alone. Empty.

"I'm sorry, Jasper," she said with matched agony in her voice. "What's done is done."

She left just as silently as she had entered. I sat on the floor for hours after she was gone, staring at nothing. I could feel the anger double inside of me.

Alice was wrong. The pain wasn't all hers. I felt as though my body had been turned inside out.

"What are you doing just sitting there?" a familiar female voice asked.

I blinked, feeling half dead and didn't respond.

"What's wrong, _mi amor_?" she crooned, running her finger down the side of my cheek.

Her hands were cold last night but now she felt freezing to me. Maybe it was just me. I felt like all of what little warmth I had clung on to in my soul had been sucked out.

"Who was here?" she snapped, cupping her hand under my chin and forcing me to look up at her.

"Alice," I told her, even though every bone in my body wanted to just stay silent.

"_Dios,_" she spat, shoving away from me. "I didn't think our little sister would hang around so close to the action."

"Alice? The fortuneteller?" a blonde guy about my height asked as he entered the room.

Rhea nodded. "You were quite the find, weren't you, Jasper?" she purred, running her fingers through my hair.

I recognized the allure that she has for what it was, just a shadow of what I had experienced earlier that day. I knew she was controlling me and yet I couldn't fight it. I didn't want to fight it. What was left for me to fight for anymore?

"Kiss me, Jasper," she whispered, drawing my eyes back to her lethal stare.

I narrowed those eyes as I looked up at her. "Promise me that you'll help me break my brother out," I demanded.

"Who's your brother?" the blonde dude asked defensively.

Rhea held her hand up to quiet him down. She smiled at me with unblinking, red eyes. "Isn't that obvious, Riley? His brother is the one Marcus has been looking for. The one Alice defected for…Edward."

I swallowed, feeling the cold hand of fate settling on my shoulder.

"Will you help me?" I asked.

She continued to stare down at me, toying with me like a lion cornering a zebra.

"_Te prometo_," she whispered, leaning down and pressing her lips against mine.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**(June 25th, 2010)**

"Remind me again why this is important for getting Edward back?" I asked, holding the gun to the man's head. It had been three days since we left Sinton and other than a parade of freaks that she had me help her question I didn't see any point to our little road trip.

"Edward?" Rhea echoed with knitted brows. Riley leaned in and whispered something in her ear and she laughed.

"Oh right, don't worry about that, _mi amor_," she said, waving off the thought of saving my baby brother. "We'll get to that in good time."

"No," I replied quietly. "We'll get to that tonight." I stared unblinkingly into her eyes and squeezed the trigger. The dude in front of me fell to the ground in a puddle of his own blood.

The crying girl behind him gasped when her father slumped next to her. Her tears hadn't dried before she was licking the blood from his face.

"Ew," I mumbled, aiming the gun at the girl's head next. She snarled up at me, displaying rows of sharp fangs. I shot her just as effortlessly as I had her father.

Rhea groaned. "Don't you get the point of interrogation, Jasper?" she complained.

"I'm a hunter, not a reporter," I pointed out.

"You're going to fuck everything up," Riley snarled, making some show of puffing out his chest and flexing his muscles.

I rolled my eyes. "Is there a reason you need me along?" I taunted.

"None that I can think of," he growled.

Rhea stepped between us, placing a hand on each of our chests. "Slow down, boys. Riley, go secure the guard," she ordered. He gave her a look like she'd just slapped him.

"For _him_?" he hissed. "Again?"

"Go," she demanded.

I watched the exchange devoid of emotion. I didn't give a shit about anything but breaking Edward out, and even that I wasn't that emotionally invested in anymore. It was just the only thing I knew I needed to do.

"Do you know what's happened to you, little one?" she asked, once we were alone.

"I'm getting screwed over?" I offered sarcastically.

She laughed, kicking the cooling body of the dead man at her feet. "Everyone gets fucked eventually, Jasper. Some of us just learn how to do the fucking early enough that we don't mind it so much when it's our ass getting slammed."

I tucked the gun back in my boot, looking up wearily as she stepped closer to me.

"Do you know why you can't just walk away from me?" she asked, running her hand up my arm and resting it against my neck.

I shook my head. "Not really. I mean…Alice said that…"

"What did little sister say?" she laughed. "Did she warn you to stay away from me because you'd be my slave forever," she teased.

I glared at her in response. "Yeah."

She laughed again. "Well, she was right about that…or should have been had she not allowed you to know who she was to you."

Some distant emotion started to ache in my chest at the memory of that day in the hotel room. I wouldn't call it love, or even desire. It was like the echo of loss. My heart was a phantom organ that stirred with the memory of something I couldn't remember the exact feel of.

"You're supposed to adore me. Worship me even," she explained, circling me with slow, leisurely steps. "If only I had kissed you before she let you back in…" she sighed. "You would be my favorite southern general by now. But instead…you're just an empty shell. _Lo siento_, sweetheart. Really, I am sorry that you have to suffer this without the lie."

She stopped behind me, weaving her arms under mine to hug me. "The lie makes it bearable, doesn't it?" she whispered.

I stood there as detached and still as a statue. I knew what she wanted from me, and I'd willing do it for her, if for nothing more than the release, but I didn't want to do it. She was right, it was easier when I could lie to myself and pretend that all of the emotions flooding my body were real. That everything I felt meant something.

That didn't make sense to me anymore.

"If you want to fuck me, then fuck me," I said, shoving her hands away so I could undo the fly on my jeans.

"So much anger," she whispered, tossing me back against the wall behind her.

I grunted, feeling my body respond to the violence like I always did. Excitement. Anticipation. They were empty illusions but strong enough to get my cock hard for her use.

"Why me?" I asked as she stood before me.

"Let's just say that I've been looking a long time for someone like you, Jasper. You like this, don't you?" she asked, running her hands over my face, down my chest and finally gripping my dick.

I groaned. My body was turned on but it didn't mean a thing. "Sure," I said robotically.

She laughed. "Ah, Jasper, such a sad little whore you are," she taunted.

"What do you want from me?" I asked, honestly.

"I want what you want. We're heading down to Rio tomorrow; that's where Edward is."

I raised a brow at that information.

"I had hoped to find out what the chatter was about, what they were doing with him, but you just…silenced our two witnesses."

I cast a glance at the dead duo on the floor.

"Oops," I replied stoically.

She shook her head slightly as she watched me closely. "_Dios_, I've heard stories about incomplete matches but…never thought it was true."

I narrowed my eyes as I stared at her. "Match? Alice said something about that too."

She nodded. "Think of your match like your…soul mate," she explained. I nodded for her to continue. "And baby…she done drained the soul out of you."

Something snapped in me at her words. I felt a flash of something inside of me.

Rage.

So intense that I hauled her up and slammed her body against the wall. She wound her legs around my waist as I slid inside her with a force hard enough to make her moan in pleasure.

Fucking Rhea was unlike any other experience I'd ever had with a woman. She wasn't human and that much was plain to tell as soon as you touched her. Her skin was like ice, firm, frozen ice. Where most women were soft and yielding she was rough and solid. When all you wanted was to sink into a wet, warm pussy, she was like slipping into a cold, slick cave. It was kind of like fucking a brick wall with a wet hole.

I sneered as I continued my brutal pace. There wasn't a single thing about fucking her that was enjoyable.

And I liked that.

I didn't have the ability to feel joy anymore. But I could feel hate. I could taste disgust and rage on my tongue when dipped it into her mouth to draw her scream of pleasure out.

It was a fucked up situation, but that's just what my life always was. And if she promised to help me get Edward out of whatever hell he was in, I'd gladly blow off some steam with her.

"What is it about fucking humans that feels so good," she purred, clenching around my cock so hard that I was damn near afraid it would snap off.

I hissed, coming as if on command and shoved myself away from her as soon as I was done.

"Who says romance is dead?" she joked, ruffling my hair with her fingers.

"I'm not fucking kidding about chopping those damn fingers off," I barked, slapping her hand away.

She laughed sadistically. "You're going to be a fun one to keep around."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Charlie PoV (Forks, Washington June 26th, 2010)**

"Hey, Em," I shouted from the kitchen. There was no response but that didn't surprise me. Ever since that blonde chick sauntered in to the garage last week I hadn't seen much of the idiot.

"Did you call, Chuck?" the idiot in question said as he bounded into the room a second later. "Whatcha eatin'?"

"Sandwich," I said, slathering a piece of bread with mustard.

Em's nose scrunched as he pondered what I was making. "Rose doesn't like sandwiches."

"Didn't know I was being roped into cooking for the Queen of Sheba," I replied with a roll of my eyes.

Em laughed, slapping my shoulder hard enough to make me grunt in pain.

"Don't worry about it, Charlie," he said, throwing the fridge door open. "I think I have something in here she'll like."

"Why is she here at all, Em?" I asked, handing him the mustard.

He shot me a look over his shoulder. "I told you, we met a few weeks ago and it was just…magic." The dimples popped in his cheeks as he grinned, and I decided to leave the room before I lost my appetite. I rolled my eyes.

The pretty piece of blonde magic was seated in the recliner in front of the wide screen when I entered the living room.

"Hi," she said without removing her eyes from the screen.

"Baseball?" I asked, looking at the screen.

She nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah. First Mariners game I've been able to catch in this season."

"Woo!" she shouted, jumping to her feet.

"What happened?" Em shouted from the kitchen.

"Two run homer, oh-yeah!" Rose shouted back.

I shook my head as I walked on through the house and across the yard to the garage. Those two were perfect for each other.

"I tell ya, Carlisle," I said, switching on the overhead light as I entered the garage. "I just don't understand kids these days."

I laughed, laying my plate down on the work bench. "I suppose we were dumb about girls once too," I continued.

I grabbed the wrench and turned to get to work. The wrench slipped from my hand as I stared at an empty garage.

"Emmett!" I hollered running back to the house. "Emmett! What in the hell did you do with the car?"

I found him sucking face with Blondie in the recliner when I burst through the door.

"What…what was that, Chuck?" he said, springing up and straightening his shirt while Rosalie hid behind him in mortification.

"Where's Car…the _car_," I asked again.

Em shot me a look that questioned if I was on the right meds. "In the garage, where we left him, Charlie."

I shook my head. "Did you lock the barn doors like I told you too?"

"This is Forks, Charlie. No one stole that car," he argued.

"I didn't say I thought someone did," I barked back in response.

"What, you think it just drove away on its own?" Blondie chimed in with a sarcastic snort.

Em and I stared at each other in terror.

"Damn it."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**A/N: Well…anyone see any of that coming? There are only two more chapters to go for this story. It's been one wild ride. Let me know what you thought of it.**

_Todos ustedes están locos- _You're all crazy

_mi amor- _my love

_Dios- _God

_Te prometo-_ I promise

_Lo siento- _I'm sorry


	10. Chapter 9: June 27th, 2010

**A/N: Thanks for reading!**

**Thanks to my prereaders, Secamimom and Kharizzmatik and my beta, TwilightMomofTwo! **

**These two worlds don't belong to me. Well…_this _world does but the original ones don't.**

**This fic is rated M for mystery. And because they won't let me rate it W for weird as shit.**

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"Please allow me to introduce myself  
>I'm a man of wealth and taste<br>I've been around for a long, long year  
>Stole many a mans soul and faith"<p>

(_Sympathy for the Devil_, The Rolling Stones)

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Then:**

**(June 15th, 1997)**

"_Why are you always following me?" I asked, glaring down at the five year old girl with the big brown eyes._

"_Would you like to come to my tea party?" she asked._

"_No. I'm a boy. Boys don't drink tea."_

"_What do boys drink?"_

_I groaned in frustration. "We drink boy stuff…like…chocolate milk," I told her. _

_She thought about that for a moment._

"_Do you want to drink chocolate milk at my tea party?" she asked. _

_I crossed my arms over my chest. "No. I'm not going to your stupid tea party, Bella. You're such a baby. Leave me alone!"_

_I regretted it the moment I said it. Her eyes filled up with tears and her whole face turned down into a frown. It felt like someone punched me in the stomach to see her that upset. _

"_I'm sorry," I said, but it didn't matter. She ran off toward the house. _

_I followed quickly after her, a little panicked. I wasn't afraid she'd tattle on me. Bella had caught me breaking the rules a lot over of the years and she never once told any of our parents about it. I trusted that she wasn't going to get me in trouble now, but I couldn't stand to see her cry. _

"_Bella?" I said, knocking on her bedroom door. I could hear her softly crying inside the room and I felt like I had swallowed battery acid._

"_Go away, stupid _boy_!" she yelled. _

_I rolled my eyes at the door. "Can I come in?" I asked, worried that she would say 'no'. _

_She sniffled a couple of times. "Okay."_

_I shoved the door open, cringing with anticipation of seeing all of her stuffed animals propped up for tea time. To my surprise all she had was a blanket spread out on the floor with two plastic cups sitting in the middle of it. They weren't even tea cups. One was a pink sippy cup without its lid and the other was a worn out Incredible Hulk cup. _

"_I…um…I'm sorry I said your tea party would be stupid," I apologized. I still thought the idea was stupid but I didn't want her to feel bad. _

"_It is stupid," she whispered, kicking over the plastic cups and running to her bed. _

_I didn't know what to do to make her stop crying. I just knew I felt worse the longer she did it._

_I picked up the cups and walked to the kitchen where Renee was preparing food for dinner. _

"_Um…do you have some chocolate milk?" I asked, holding up the cups._

_She smiled. "Are you going to Baby B's tea party?" she asked enthusiastically. _

_I nodded, with much less enthusiasm. _

_She laughed lightly as she filled the cups. "Oh Eddie, you will understand one day that all the annoyance is worth it."_

"_Why?" I asked._

"_Because it doesn't matter what you're doing so long as you enjoy the person you are doing it with," she explained patiently._

_I pouted, mumbling, "whatever."_

_She laughed as I walked upstairs to Bella's room. _

"_Bell…" I started to say as I walked inside. I was stopped by a pillow slamming against my face. The two cups of chocolate milk tumbled to the ground, drowning my sneakers._

"_Get out," she huffed. _

_I stood there, dripping wet and confused as hell. "What the heck was that for?" I yelled._

"_I don't want to have a tea party anymore," she pouted, stomping her feet._

"_Bella, did you seriously just stomp your feet?" I laughed._

"_Stop that! Stop laughing at me!" she demanded. "And stop calling me Bella. My name is _Isabella_. Call me _Iz_. Bella was a baby." She ran past me to the kitchen to inform her mother that she had changed her name to Iz._

"_Women," my brother said from the hallway. "You won't win this one, Eddie. Just call the girl Iz and leave it at that." He winked before heading outside._

_I scratched my head, still standing there in shock and covered in chocolate milk. _

"_I don't get it."_

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Now:**

**(June 27th, 2010)**

**Lesson 9: **Never Look Back

**Edward PoV: (Rio)**

I rested my head against the wall, having situated myself into the corner.

I was exhausted.

Starving.

Thirsty.

I felt like my skin was pulling away from my bones—like all the moisture and strength in my body was being sucked inward. I imagined a flame burning at the center of my body, and I could feel the light waning.

Little by little… Minute by minute… I could feel myself dying.

Food was a forgotten concept, as was civility. The stench that filled my lungs no longer turned my stomach. There was nothing left to turn.

A wave of weakness drained any fight from me, and I jerked my head sporadically to keep my eyes from closing. Sleep was not an option. Whenever I did slip into unconsciousness they would wake me up. First with freezing cold water from the sprinklers overhead, then with a screeching horn played over the speaker mounted above the door.

I used to think that living with my family was torture.

I didn't know shit about torture.

I had no clue how long I'd been locked up but I would guess it was only a few days. It was unfathomable to know that people lived for years in situations like this. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't—eventually I'd find the strength to kill myself.

Every so often Eleazar would return to my cell. I assumed his visits were daily but for all I knew anymore it could have been hourly.

"I must say," he informed me while placing his warm fingers against my neck to check my pulse. "You are the most complacent one they've held on to." He barked a twisted laugh when I didn't react to him shining a light directly in my eye. "I expected the kid raised by Carlisle Cullen to fight till someone slit his throat."

I didn't respond to his remark, my fears reconciled to just accept whatever fate was ahead of me. What use was there in fighting? It wasn't like Jazz was going to be able to save me now. He didn't know the first thing about where I was. Hell, I didn't know the first thing about where I was. Maybe Carlisle Cullen raised me but he wasn't here to force me to my feet.

Eleazar left the room, and I went back to my metamorphosis into oblivion.

I tried counting my breaths, the bricks in the walls, even tried recalling the exact location and date of every monster hunt I'd ever been on. Slowly, I gave up trying to place a value of time on my stay in this prison.

Eleazar returned, again. Had it been an hour, or a day? Maybe it had been a week since his last visit. I couldn't say for certain.

"Did you know her?" I asked without looking at him.

It took a minute for a response since he was clearly caught off guard by the sound of my voice. The sound was just as unsettling to my ears. My voice was a gravely snarl of sound devoid of emotion and life—I barely recognized it.

"Who?"

"My mother…Elizabeth, did you know her too?" It was the only question that I cared enough to ask. I'd spent my entire life trying to find out who the woman on fire really was. I figured before I died I should follow my last lead.

He contemplated his answer as he recorded my vitals. "Well… she was a Chosen female so I wasn't…needed on her case."

"Chosen female?" I prompted even though the muscles used to access my memory were worn out. I could only understand the surface of his words. The deeper meaning…connections to research I had collected my whole life were lost to me.

He nodded solemnly. "Yes…they…it's unwise for me to explain further but…The Chosen are very important to the work they do here…However, unless a Chosen female shows signs of a gift there is no need for me. It's with the boys…the offspring of those females that my expertise is best applied."

"Are you saying that I'm an experiment?" I gathered from the language he used to describe this interaction.

He nodded once more. "Oh yes, quite the successful one too. You are the result of generations of precise breeding. It was uncertain if you would be worth the effort of tracking down in the beginning. Your father wasn't authorized to mate with your mother and you were considered a waste. But I knew. The moment Carlisle introduced you to me, I knew…"

"You've been working for them all along?" I interjected. Some dormant part of me tried to feel surprised that our only lead to finding Carlisle had turned out to be a traitor. I couldn't muster the energy to be shocked, though.

Eleazar sighed, resting back on his haunches. "I work for no one, boy. I'm much older than any of these…_things _that have you. I'm above their games with humanity. But, unfortunately, I am compelled to do their biding thanks to …need for protection."

"Protection from what?" I shot my eyes to his, practically hearing his response in my head.

"Erebos?" I guessed.

I hadn't heard that name mentioned in this place. It seemed odd to me that almost everyone in my family, and extended family including Renee and Charlie, had been visited by the thing called Erebos, but he wasn't the one standing over me in this cell. With what Jazz and Charlie described from their meetings of the monster, I should have been killed in cold blood in my motel room once Erebos caught up to me. I concluded that meant these captors were working against him, or at least they weren't working with him.

Eleazar's eyes narrowed but he did not confirm or deny the name.

"What are they?" Again the sound of my voice asking questions confused me. I didn't care what his responses were, did I? I just wanted this all to end.

He shook his head slowly. "They have no real name. The oldest call them simply 'the Cold Ones'. Others have thought up more…ghoulish titles for their kind over the centuries."

I mulled that information over in my slowly turning mind. "That doesn't make sense to me," I admitted in frustration, disorientated from internment.

"You'll catch on soon enough, kid. They're playing with fire where you're concerned anyway. You're strong enough alone, and you've already discovered your match…been bonded with her all of her life actually. Don't really see the angle in all of it…" The last bit he muttered mostly to himself, his eyes unfocused as if he were looking into his memories and not at me.

It was too much information. I couldn't fully process any of it.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked skeptically. I didn't know if I could trust anything he told me and for some reason the truth of his words mattered to me.

He chuckled, standing to leave. "Edward, there is no point in me hiding anything from you. By tomorrow night there won't be a mind within a hundred miles of this place that can keep anything from you."

I narrowed my eyes as I watched him leave the room.

"So they're _not _going to kill me?" I whispered, feeling my heart sink.

Death was what I had been hoping for.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Carlisle PoV (Seattle, June 20th, 1986)**

I had just climbed into bed after one of the longest days of my life—sixteen hours straight of residency work followed by an all-nighter of studying up on new surgical procedures.

Two blessed hours of sleep were staring me in the face before I was due at the morgue for my _night_ job. The phone rang the second I closed my eyes.

"What?" I mumbled incoherently into the receiver.

"Where are you? You're late." My father's voice announced. I cracked one eye open to find that I was, in fact, twenty minutes late for my job.

"I must have slept through my alarm," I offered with a yawn.

My father blustered on his end of the phone, and I quickly supplied an apology for excuses. There was no room for excuses.

"Get down to the morgue," he barked so loud that the phone shook against my ear. "They just brought in a fresh cadaver. I want you to clock in some training with the autopsy."

"Yes, sir," I replied, hanging up the phone and getting dressed immediately. I might have been twenty-six years old, but my father still had the ability to make me feel like a toddler.

It was a quick drive over to the county hospital. My father had set up a sort of unofficial internship for me in the morgue. It was a wonderful opportunity, since I preferred working with the dead rather than the living anyway. My father had announced that the position would help me become the next great surgeon in the Cullen family line, but secretly I hoped that the training would lead to a job as a coroner.

I never felt like I belonged in the world of saving lives. I was worried I'd screw up and end up killing more patients than I helped. Best to just start off with clients who were dead on arrival.

"Carlisle," Dr. Young greeted me as I entered the operating room. "I thought your father might send you down this morning. He expressed an interest for this particular type of case some time ago."

I offered him a polite smile but felt my stomach flip in annoyed anticipation at his words. My father treated human life like everyone was just a walking cadaver. People were reduced to the symptoms that led to their demise rather than experiences of what gave them life before ending up here. He had specific interests in causes of death and he wished for me to follow in his footsteps.

"A suicide?" I asked while I slipped on operating scrubs.

"How'd you guess?" he asked with a quirk of his brow.

I shrugged. My father had been chomping at the bit for me to work on a suicide victim for a while. Who knew what in the hell his reasoning was. It was almost like he expected something monumental to happen to my life once I had come face to face with my first suicide victim.

"Have you already completed the autopsy?" I asked, preparing for the surgery. "How do you know it's a suicide?"

"I was just about to begin. She was found floating face down in the canal back behind the church on Seventh Street."

"How does that make her a suicide?" I prompted, pulling on a pair of latex gloves.

"She has multiple scars along her wrists indicating previous attempts," he noted.

I nodded. It seemed safe to assume she was in that water in yet another effort to end her life.

"Okay, how do you want to do this?"

He handed me the scalpel. "You open her up," he instructed, leaning over to turn on the recorder. "The deceased is a young female, in her early twenties. Brunette hair. Caucasian."

As he read off the visual descriptors I fond myself correcting his choice of words automatically in my head. She wasn't just some young female, she was a woman. Not just in her early twenties but the prime of her life. The shade of her hair wasn't brunette but rather a delicate chestnut with strands of auburn highlights. Her skin wasn't just white it was ivory and cream, kissed with a soft peachy blush. I would guess she was of Irish descent from her coloring and the few freckles that dotted her cheeks.

I shook my head at the ridiculous details that had just poured out of my brain like a love poem.

_Focus, Carlisle,_ I thought. This was just a body. A woman who had ended her life because she couldn't stand living anymore.

_Your life will be over if you fuck this up, _I reminded myself.

Dr. Young cut her clothes from her body, and I fought an overwhelming urge to turn away and give her privacy. I had no clue why I felt like that. Even more disturbing was the fact that I couldn't seem to just focus on the job. I had an exceptional gift at detaching from situations and my emotions—that skill I owed entirely to my father. It's the reason that I preferred working with the departed. There were no expectations of me caring what their lives were like outside of this room. No need for small talk. I could just approach each job with a clear head and focus on my work. For some strange reason this case seemed different.

This woman was different.

He motioned for me to begin and my hand stalled inches above her collarbone. I couldn't help but stare at her. Her face, those lips, so endearing. She was beautiful, even in death—a frozen angel.

"Who is she?" I whispered, dropping the scalpel on to the table, abandoning all hope of pulling my shit together. Nothing else mattered anymore as I gazed at her face. I had to know who she was. Her name was the most important thing in the world to me.

A word echoed suddenly in my mind. A name. Her name.

_Esme…_

"Esme…" I whispered, running my fingers gently over her cheek. "Esme…" I repeated.

"You okay, kid?" Dr. Young asked, giving me a look like I was bat-shit crazy.

I ignored him, suddenly devastated by the fact that she was gone. I had never met her. Never heard her voice. Never looked into her eyes. My heart was heavy with mourning for a life I had never known.

"You can't leave me," I breathed, leaning closer to her. I kissed her lips unthinkingly, hardly aware when Dr. Young called for security.

"Come back to me," I whispered against her lips. An almost imperceptible tremble stirred those frozen lips.

"Esme?"

"Carlisle, you need to back away from that body," a voice warned from far away.

"She's still alive," I said, feeling along her throat for a pulse. To my relief it was there. It was faint and failing but her heart was still beating.

"She's alive," I repeated, looking up to Dr. Young with tears blurring my vision.

"Are you insane?" he asked with a twist of his features. "She's been in here for two days…she was found in the river face down…" 

"I need a medic!" I screamed. If what he said was true she was on the brink of death already.

"Stay with us, Ez," I told her, hating the cold, sterile world she was lying in right now. There were no blankets to warm her. No devices to help revive her breathing. This place was meant to receive the dead not revitalize the living.

I stripped off my shirt and wrapped my body around hers to transfer what little warmth I could. She was like a block of ice but I could feel her body slowly draw strength from my own.

"He's in here!" Dr. Young yelled. "Get him out of here before he defiles this poor girl any further…"

"She's alive!" I shouted when the security guards fought to pull me off of her.

"Help her!" I screamed in desperation just before a blinding pain radiated from the back of my head, causing the world to go black.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Jazz PoV (June 28th, 2010, Houston, Texas)**

The first thing I wanted when I woke was a stiff drink.

Voices permeated my barely conscious state. I groaned, reaching for the bottle on the nightstand and finding nothing. I peeked one eye open to find the bottle, and the nightstand for that matter, gone.

_That's because you aren't in the motel room, you idiot, _I reminded myself. It had been a week since I found myself in a motel actually. Seven days since I had slept through the night. I looked around, annoyed with the assholes hanging around the room that I had passed out in. Apparently these creeps never slept.

_Lucky bastards._

"Where's Charlotte?" I heard someone ask. I ignored the request and ran my hands over my face to wake up.

Hell if I even knew who Charlotte was. Names weren't something that stuck with me much. I had no need to become attached to anyone around here. Asshole number one and two were good enough descriptors for me.

"She was with Riley's scout unit this morning," another voice replied.

"Ah, I hope they had better luck," Asshole number one insisted.

"I hope so too, but I doubt that they did. There's a reason they call that bitch 'The Prophet'."

"Oh, I know…it was like chasing mist when we caught up with her. She anticipated every move we made."

"Unnecessary early morning exposition much, assholes?" I grumbled, shoving myself up from the floor.

They both gave me suspicious glances and I just shrugged. "Never mind."

_At least you two finally shut up._

I headed through the dilapidated hacienda to the one working bathroom in the house. The assholes never peed either, apparently.

"How nice, you already have yourself out and waiting for me," Rhea teased, walking up behind me as I finished my business.

"Fuck off," I mumbled. Her hands slid over mine as I zipped up my fly.

"I was thinking more like _on _the counter behind us," she whispered seductively.

I rolled my eyes. "I'm immune to your bullshit first thing in the morning."

She laughed; that manic insane sound made my skin crawl.

"Don't worry, _mi amor_, we don't have much time for that anyway."

She ruffled my hair before leaving me alone. I glared at the jerk in the mirror as I washed my hands and face. Seven days ago I wasn't happy with that dude staring back at me, but I had found a way to live with him. I wasn't exactly sure what had happened to me in the past week, but I didn't recognize any part of the old me now.

I ran my finger over the scar on my cheek. Maybe I recognized a small part of me.

Doors started slamming and shouts rang out as I headed back toward the front of the house.

"What happened?" Rhea shouted.

"That bitch is fast," Riley told her, his face twisted with rage. "And she hit Garrett and Charlotte."

The guy who had woken me up with his yapping, Asshole number one, gasped at that but quickly masked his fears behind a vacant stare.

"Our numbers?" Rhea asked, ignoring the outburst.

"Intact. Charlotte will be fine; she's reattaching her arm in the barn. Garrett's leg was ripped off, he's still searching for it. What gives? Why did she just hack off some limbs? Why not just kill us?" Riley mused.

Rhea giggled, winding her arms around his middle. "She's not big on killing people. She couldn't even kill Marcus when we broke out. Had the perfect opportunity too."

"Who are you looking for?" I asked, getting pretty pissed that I had to repeat myself so much around this place.

Rhea rested her cheek against Riley's chest as she glanced my way. She watched me for a moment. I could all but see her tail swishing behind her.

"It's not important. We don't really need her. We'll…make do," she declared, ignoring my question completely.

"Riley, I need you to stay with the troops _en la casa_," Rhea instructed much to Riley's immediate displeasure.

"You're taking him, though, right?" he spat, glaring at me.

I rolled my eyes, shoving my hands in my pockets nonchalantly just to piss him off more.

It worked.

"He doesn't know shit about the plan…the war…why the hell are you entertaining this fantasy?" he whined.

"I told you before," she purred, stroking her hands down the sides of his face. I noticed that he didn't bend to her touch the way everyone else around her did. I made a mental note of that little piece of info.

"I know you think it's safer for me to stay behind but…_querida_, I can't let you go alone," he whispered emphatically. His arms wrapped around her as if he could absorb her body into his.

The way he looked at her, and the stare that she returned, reminded me of how Edward used to look at Iz when he thought nobody was looking. Even when they were kids, especially back then, he used to stare at her like she was the prize in the crackerjack box.

The empty cavern in my chest ached as another memory was stirred up by the sight. I squashed that memory back, opting to kick up some trouble to relieve the lovey-dovey bullshit.

"Are we ditching the prom date or what?" I prompted, rolling my hand in the air to show that we were wasting time.

Riley glared daggers at me to which I simply puckered my lips and taunted him further. He snarled…more like growled, taking one step toward me. I planted my feet, relishing the opportunity to fight.

"_Suficiente_!" Rhea shouted, waving her hands between us. "You need to stay here," she commanded, holding Riley's stare with a forceful one of her own.

"And _you _need to pack that dick back in your pants and follow me," she informed me, waving toward the door.

"Where are we going?" I asked as we left the Adobe style house that Rhea had called _Home._

"Heading down south," she replied with a twist of her lips.

"Really?" I spat with a sarcastic roll of my eyes. "You said that we were heading down to Rio yesterday." I looked around. "Looks like we're still in Texas to me."

"Some last minute…details had to be taken care of," she offered, winking over her shoulder at me.

I huffed silently to myself.

"Peter," she called. Asshole number one walked over to kneel before her silently.

"Carry him," she commanded. Before I could ask for clarification she sped off into the early morning light.

Peter stood waiting for me. "What the hell is she talking about?"

Without warning, he stepped forward, hefting me over his shoulder like I was Scarlett Fucking O'Hara and followed the rest of the gang.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Carlisle PoV (Seattle, August 13th, 1986)**

"You look so beautiful," I told her, running my hands along the white lace that ran down her back.

"Mrs. Cullen," I breathed against her ear as I wrapped my arms around her from behind. We fit together so perfectly. Two pieces of a puzzle that I hadn't even realized existed until I met her.

"I love you," she whispered. Her hands fell delicately over mine.

"What is it?" I asked, sensing that she was worried with the way her fingers squeezed mine.

"I'm not going to be able to hide anything from you, am I?" she teased.

I turned her around in my embrace so that I could look into her eyes. "Not if I can help it," I vowed.

"What's wrong?" I echoed, kissing her lips gently to let her know that I was here for her. Always.

"I'm happy with you, Carlisle. I promise that I am. It's just…" She looked away and I wouldn't have it. I hooked my finger under her chin to draw her eyes back to mine.

"Just what?" I prodded.

"Why didn't you just let me die…he was almost here. He won't get involved now unless he finds out about…why didn't you just let me die?"

The desperation in her voice was nothing compared to the desolation in her eyes as she pleaded up at me. I didn't know what to say.

It was our wedding day. I had never been more certain about anything in my life than I was about Esme. If I had let her die…we wouldn't be here right now. I wouldn't be whole. It was a statistical probability that I would have died myself if I had just left her in that morgue two months ago.

"I can't live without my soul, Ez," I offered sympathetically. I knew she had been through some kind of hell before I found her. She was covered in scars all over her body. The slashes on her wrists were the most disturbing.

I wouldn't push her to divulge her secrets to me. Whatever was in her past didn't matter to me. All that mattered was that I was in her present, and now her future.

"That's all behind us now," I promised, kissing her sweetly.

Her eyes were drawn away from my face as we pulled apart. Her breath hitched in panic and she tucked her face against my chest. I hugged her to me fiercely, searching for the cause of her distress. My sight landed on the smiling face of my father.

A cold chill ran down my spine at the delighted glee in his eyes. I had never seen my father so pleased. I had no idea why he was so happy now.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**(Alice PoV, June 28th, 2010, Rio)**

"_Finally," Marcus said. His sneer was vicious, the twinkle in his eyes unnerving._

"_Your mother paid for her subordination as well, Jasper," he hissed. "And now it's your turn."_

_The sound of bones snapping registered a second before all the life drained from my body._

I gasped, coughing as I tried to stabilize my breathing.

I ducked down an alleyway to avoid unwanted attention. The vision had caught me off guard.

"She's made up her mind," I guessed. My thoughts were flooded with dozens of possible outcomes from this decision. Most of them ended the same way. Jasper would die.

I cradled my face in my hands and tried to think. There was no remedy to this curse now.

"It's the only way," I whispered.

I kept moving since standing still in this city was just asking to be caught by the Guard. My thoughts dwelled on the image of Jasper at the facility. The dark circles under his eyes…his eyes…hollowed out caverns of blue desolation.

My heart clenched at the thought.

"Oh, Jasper," I whispered as I merged into the bustling crowd of the mid-morning market.

This was all my fault. If only I had seen the bigger plan. If only I had been more patient.

_If only you had just given in last week and stayed with him._ I chided myself for even thinking it. It was horrible enough that I had teased him to begin with. I made a vow the day I found him that I would never force our bond on him.

Nothing good ever came from finding your match.

An image of Edward popped into my head. He sat with Bella at a small kitchen table. They shared shy, loving glances as he ran his finger over the back of her hand. My heart ached a second time, though this time it was with hope that true love would weather this storm.

_So give your love a chance,_ my heart begged.

"Not meant to be," I muttered. I knew what they did when they found the Chosen ones. I knew who would be two steps behind us every second that we spent together.

I scanned my inner eye back to Rhea's decisions, finding my destination easily. I saw the people around me minutes ahead of my reality, anticipating the best course to navigate through the crowd.

It was odd being back in Brazil, strange to be this close to the Guard. I found that the panic and fear that had kept me away for so long was drained from me. Maybe I'd just spent too many hours in Edward's depleted near future, but I could feel resignation settling into my bones.

"How many pesos for a phone call?" I heard him ask as I neared the small cantina.

Jasper stood at the bar having a very animated conversation with the waitress. Apparently Spanish was not in his repertoire, and it seemed sign language wasn't beneficial to his plight either. I hid a giggle behind my hand.

It was a trap. She had been clever enough not to decide how to spring the trap, and therefore kept the near future a secret from me, but Rhea wouldn't have left him unguarded, especially in this place, without a reason. I watched from the shadows, perplexed by the outcome of Jasper's phone call.

Darkness. All I could see in the future was darkness.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Carlisle PoV (December 10th, 1986)**

"Carlisle," my father called as I rounded the corner of the hospital hallway. I silently groaned.

"Hello, Father."

"I had hoped to find you this morning. There's someone I'm excited for you to meet," he announced, clapping his hands in almost sadistic glee. My stomach dropped at the thought. I had no desire to meet any of my father's friends. They were all the same- heartless, ambitious pricks.

"Dr. V," my father called. I turned to a find a man in his mid thirties walking towards us. I could read what kind of man he was. He was tall, with dark hair and pale features. He wore glasses but something about the way his eyes roamed his surroundings told me that he probably didn't need them. The angles of his face were sharp like the blade of a scalpel.

"Ah, this must be the prodigal son," Dr. V said, reaching his hand out in invitation for me to shake it.

I reluctantly did so, noticing that his hands were freezing to the touch.

"Dr. V," I greeted him.

"Oh please, call me Marcus." He offered a charming smile but something about it made me think he was hiding something.

"You'll be working with Dr. V now; he can get you on the right track," my father proclaimed.

As with every other moment in my life I just bit my tongue and nodded. It wasn't any use to question with my father. He was ruthless when it came to his plans for my future. He'd made that quite clear the day I got married to Ez, showing me documentation that he drafted that could put her away in a mental institution if I chose to suddenly leave town and start a new life with her.

"_Call it security for your future, son," he told me. "You are still very young. We wouldn't want you to make a foolish mistake because you love the girl too much." _

I vowed that day that I would never become my father by forcing my kids into a future against their wishes.

"It will be my pleasure to work with you, Marcus," I lied.

Marcus smiled. "I promise to not be too hard on you kid," he joked. I tried to laugh in response but felt bile rising in my throat.

"Good, good… such good news," my father said, wringing his hands like some villain from a silent movie.

"We should probably get to work, Dr. Cullen," Marcus dismissed my father with a nod of his head. To my complete amazement it worked.

"How did you do that?" I asked as my father trotted away to ruin someone else's life for a change.

Marcus shrugged, reaching for a clipboard on the nurses' station in front us. "I have a way with getting people to do what I want, I suppose."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Jasper PoV (Rio, June 28th, 2010)**

I handed the man at the bar a twenty, and he held it up to the light as if it were monopoly money or something. I rolled my eyes. "_Teléfono_?" I asked in my broken Spanish. He nodded to a phone tucked off to the side of the bar.

I dialed Charlie's cell; thankfully I had the number memorized. Rhea had commanded that I leave everything behind in Sinton. I had complied with everything but my gun.

"Uh…hello?" Charlie answered warily.

"Charlie, it's me, Jazz."

"Jazz…hey, what's up?" His voice was strained, on edge. I groaned at the sound. I was standing in the middle of a hole-in-the-wall cantina in the middle of South America, having ridden on the shoulder of a dude for the fastest trip in my life. I didn't need anymore stress right now.

"Everything okay, Chuck?" I asked, finding myself somewhere between genuinely worried and sarcastically unfazed.

"Uh…yep. How's it going on your end? Found your brother yet?" His voice raised in pitch at the end of the question. It was a rookie tale of lying. Not like Charlie at all.

_Is he possessed or something?_

"What did my dad always carry in his back pocket?" I asked, knowing that only a handful of people would really know the answer to that.

Charlie huffed. "He carried a rosary with a locket attached to it," he responded flatly.

"What was in the locket?" I prompted, still not convinced.

"A worn-out picture of his wife." There was a pause. When he spoke again I could hear anger in his voice. "I ain't renting space to a demon, kid," he assured me.

"Well, then you wanna tell me what bush we're beating around here, Charlie?"

I heard him mumble something away from the receiver. "Nope. All's good here."

That canned response pissed me off. _What the hell is it with people keeping shit from me?_

"How're the repairs going?" I fished.

More mumbling. "Good…good…the..uh…Car…um Carlisle…your dad is just about street ready, I guess." He rambled around his response like a blind man feeling up an elephant.

"You guess?" I echoed. I could feel rage rising inside of me. I was reaching my limit of people hiding information from me.

"Right…well, you know Em is doing the detail stuff and I'm mostly here for moral support. My back has been giving me grief and…" he started to ramble again.

"Are you drunk?" I asked in annoyance.

"Uh…hell, you got me, kid," he offered hastily. "Yep…bout ready to throw up and pass out."

I narrowed my eyes. My brother might be the one who was damn near psychic but I could smell a big pile of shit just as easily as the next guy.

"Put Emmett on the phone," I requested. The phone was passed on with heated whispers that I couldn't make out.

"Jazz," Em said like it was the first time we had spoken to each other in months.

"I need you to look something up for me," I told him, forgoing the awkward repeat performance of what-are-these-two-idiots-trying-to-hide-from-me.

"Sure thing, Rosie, boot up the laptop please," he said away from the phone.

"Rosie?" I asked.

Em chuckled. "Rosie's my girl," he informed me and I could practically hear his smile in his voice.

I rolled my eyes. "Cool," I said sarcastically.

"What do you need?" Em asked.

I opened my mouth to reply when a sharp pain suddenly radiated from the back of my head. I grunted as I fell face first into a bowl of guac on the bar before passing out.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Carlisle PoV (May 1st, 1987)**

I walked into the bedroom holding the test strip that I had found on the counter in the bathroom. My mind was both blank and rapidly spinning in out of control fantasies and fears.

"Um…Ez?" was the only greeting that I could muster while my brain battled with itself.

She looked up from the book she was reading, her eyes widening as she took in my expression and what I was holding.

"I meant to throw that out," she mumbled, her cheeks growing pink.

I offered her a goofy smile, shaking my head in reassurance. The test read negative but just the idea that we might one day have kids together was making me lightheaded with joy.

"It's okay…I hadn't…I mean, you never…" I stammered.

I shut up when I realized that she wasn't mirroring my enthusiasm for offspring. In fact she looked downright ill at the idea.

"What is it?" I asked, rushing to the bed to hold her hand.

She sighed, looking away from me for a moment. This was something to do with her past. She always shut down when what we were talking about touched upon her past.

"I'm not…able to conceive Carlisle. I thought maybe…but I'm pretty sure God had only one child destined for me." She spoke so softly that it took me a minute to understand what she meant.

"You've been pregnant before?" My confusion caused the words to sound more like an accusation than just an observation. Esme flinched back from me, causing my heart to break.

"I didn't mean it like that… It's okay, sweetheart," I promised, pulling her into my arms.

She trembled in my arms, her breath catching as she started to cry. "I'm so sorry, Carlisle. I wanted to tell you…I can't…"

"Shh," I offered, trying to calm her worries. "It's okay, Ez." It truly was okay. Whatever she was afraid of we would work through. "We can adopt."

She shoved herself up to look at me. I brushed the stray tears from her cheeks giving her a gentle smile.

"You don't want to know what happened?" she asked, warily.

I shook my head. "Does it matter? I love you. Tell me what you want, or don't." I shrugged.

"I wasn't just pregnant," she broached cautiously. "I…had him a few months before I met you…it was a boy…but he…" The tears overtook her once more and I enfolded her in my arms, rocking away her fears.

"It's okay, Esme. We'll start over. If you want to have kids we'll find a way. I promise."

"No," she said, pressing her face against my chest. "I can't have another one, Carlisle. I just can't…"

"Shh," I shushed her again. "We don't have to decide anything right now. Let's get some sleep?"

She nodded and I laid us back to snuggle under the covers.

"Thank you," she whispered after a few moments. I just squeezed my arms around her in reassurance.

We laid there for a while, just holding each other in silence. I started to drift off; hearing her speak but not sure if it was real or a dream.

"I think you would have liked him, Carlisle," she whispered. "He had blue eyes…just like yours. It broke my heart to say goodbye to him."

I made a noise in response but was too far lost in sleep to speak.

"One day you'll understand."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Edward PoV (June 28th, 2010, Rio)**

"He doesn't look too good, Alec," a female voice noted.

I was trapped somewhere between consciousness and death. My eyes were open but I didn't see anything. It had been too long since I had any food or water- too long since I was thrown into this room.

"He's just about ready to be dosed," a male voice determined.

"Do we have to touch him?" the female whined. "He stinks."

"Marcus will be here momentarily. If you would prefer, we could tell him you were too good to follow his commands. He's known for his eternal forgiveness, after all." I couldn't see their faces but I could tell he was being sarcastic.

I'd heard the name Marcus mentioned a few times. I had also heard the term 'dosed' a lot since arriving here. Whoever this Marcus person was, he was about to shoot me up with something. I idly wondered if now would be a good time for me to attempt suicide. My body was too weak to follow any commands my brain tried to give it, though.

_Just one more failure to add to your list, Edward._

"You carry his top half," the female said in resignation.

I felt hands slide under my arms and was lifted into the air like I was a toddler.

"I do agree about the smell," the man relented from behind as they carried me from the room.

The world beyond my cell was foreign to me since I didn't have any memory of that first day here. At the time I had believed I was following Isabella somewhere very important, but I didn't remember what the building looked like, or even what state we were in.

I wondered if Jasper had found any information on my whereabouts yet. Maybe he and Charlie were working on a plan to break me out. I was too weak to look for their faces in the crowd of people who surrounded the operating table that I was brought to.

"Remove his shirt," a female voice ordered. The man, Alec, the one who had helped carry me from my prison ripped my shirt from my body as if it were made of tissue paper.

"What are you?" I heard myself ask. I didn't really care what the response was. My mind was no longer capable of relating any information to memory.

I just wanted to die.

"You'll find out soon enough," the voice promised. My arms and legs were secured to the table. I'm not sure why. I was drained of every ounce of energy I had. I couldn't struggle if I wanted to.

The temperature in the room dropped significantly in the next second, causing my body to shake from the cold. My breath was a broken cloud floating from my lips.

"My Lord," everyone around me whispered in unison. A reverent hush followed this greeting. It was silent but for the sound of my teeth chattering.

"Ah, little lion cub," a voice I could only assume belonged to Marcus said. "I've searched for you for far too many human years."

He made a discerning sound, slapping his hand against my arm. I jerked against the restraints. Apparently there was still strength left me in.

"I would have expected more ferocity from you, little one. Your parents were such…difficult test subjects."

I stared up at the ceiling, unseeing.

"The doctor did prove useful after all," he remarked, continuing his inspection. "You won't need these any longer," he sighed, "such a pity to mar the flesh…" I felt freezing fingers trace my tattoos. I shivered, feeling more violated than if I were being possessed.

"Not all marks are useless, Master," a familiar voice offered from somewhere to my right. I recognized the voice even though it had been months since I last heard it.

"Too right you are, my darling. Have you outgrown your _amusement _with that project yet?" Marcus asked, poking me like I was a rump roast.

"For now," Cris informed him.

"The fun was lost when that pack of mutts dug up our cover," another voice added in dejection.

"Ah, you were playing with fire to begin with then. And what, I wonder, possessed you to play so close to the flame?" he questioned, slapping my arm a second time.

"We needed to find the boy. He was bound to return home eventually, was he not?" Cris replied.

"You make me proud, daughters. None other of the Guard would have risked so much for this."

A face floated above me then - a pale man with dark hair. His face was cut in sharp angles that were enhanced by his scrutiny of my eyes.

"You have Elizabeth's eyes," he remarked casually. I focused those green eyes on his black pupils out of interest in his words. He pursed his chalky lips. "You are the spitting image of your father though. That will cause aggravation in Italy."

"She named him after the traitor as well," Alec added.

"Yes…perhaps you can be the prodigal son that Edward Senior failed to be," Marcus said, squeezing my cheeks to force my mouth open for inspection.

_My father's name was Edward too?_

"Disgusting," Marcus muttered. "The human body is said to be a miraculous achievement in God's creations," he mused. "What say you, Eleazar?"

The old man cleared his throat. "Humans did…start the ball rolling."

Though I knew nothing about the man he had been my constant companion throughout my stay in prison. Even if he meant me harm, I couldn't help but feel a fondness to him now.

"Yes," Marcus agreed. "A rough draft to be drastically edited."

The group laughed as if prompted.

"Time to fix you, Edward," he whispered into my ear. I closed my eyes, giving up completely. I didn't want to be fixed. I just wanted to die.

_Just kill me_, I pleaded over and over in my head.

Teeth tore into the flesh on my neck and I found the strength to scream.

Everything was pain. Intense, blinding pain. More than anything I had ever felt before.

But the pain was nothing compared to the burning that began to pulse from the wound, spreading through my veins like lava pouring from a volcano. He bit me again on my arm. My leg. My wrist. Over and over he sank his teeth into my flesh - a dozen wounds throbbing with liquid fire.

I writhed, straining against the restraints on my limbs with all of my might.

Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I was dead.

And now I burned in hell.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Carlisle PoV**

_Regrets. _

_A man reaches the end of his life and all he can do is reflect on all the missed opportunities. The mistakes that could have been avoided. The errors that should have been corrected._

_I'm driving down some dark road with only one real destination in mind - the end. _

_I have miles to go before I sleep but my exit for death is just up the street._

_There are things I should have been smarter about. Better ways so that I could have reached this destination, but it doesn't really matter in the end. Dwelling on should've, could've, would've is a one-way ticket to purgatory. _

_I'm okay with knowing I'm heading to hell. I made peace a long time ago with the fact that the Pearly Gates just weren't in my cards. _

_All I have ahead of me is darkness. _

_The pedal presses to the floor as I speed off into the blackness. _

_This I won't regret. _

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**A/N: Only one more chapter to go. Thanks for reading and for sticking with this story. I know I take a long time to write stuff so I appreciate your patience and support. As always your comments are greatly appreciated. **

Spanish Translations:

_Mi amor: _my love

_Querida: _dear, sweetheart

_en la casa:_ at the house

_Suficiente:_ enough


	11. Chapter 10: June 28th, 2010

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Here ya go - the end.**

**Thanks to my prereaders, Secamimom and Kharizzmatik, and my beta, TwilightMomofTwo! Without the three of you I would have just stopped writing this. **

**Twilight and Supernatural are the property of people far more talented than me. **

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

"Say a prayer for the falling angels  
>Stem the tide of the rising waters<br>Toll a bell for the broken hearted  
>Burn a torch for your sons and daughters<p>

The endless night has got a hold of me  
>Dark days are pulling me forward<br>And all these tears are washing over me  
>And I'm crying - I'm lost forever<br>In a future that ain't what it used to be."

(_The future ain't what it used to be_, Meatloaf)

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Then:**

**(December 10, 1995)**

_I stepped forward to brush the fallen leaves from the top of her gravestone. _

"_I miss you, Ez," I whispered, heaving a sigh that I felt all the way to my bones. _

_I could feel the two pairs of eyes staring toward me in the darkness from the Impala. _

"_I found him," I told her. _

_My eyes scanned the useless words that I had approved the funeral home to etch into the stone. It was a quote from her favorite Shakespearean play, Hamlet. _

"To thine own self be true."

_It seemed so stupid to me now. Esme would have slapped me upside the head if she were here to see what I had deemed a worthy memorial of her life. _

"_It's all a lie," I reminded myself. _

_I waved toward the car and heard the boys climb out. A faint clanking sound warned me that Edward was dragging his shovel behind him as they walked over to join me._

"_Who was she?" Jasper asked. He held his flashlight up, illuminating the words that I had glared at in the darkness._

"_She's the reason we're a family," I informed him removed of emotion. _

"_Is she my mom?" Edward asked hopefully. I just shook my head silently._

"_Dig," I commanded and both boys obediently started plunging their shovels into the dirt._

_For a moment I feared my emotions would break through. I even felt my eyes start to sting with the threat of tears. But then the last five years washed over me in a wave of memories that steeled my resolve once more._

_It's all a lie._

_I picked up my shovel and joined the boys. We didn't talk. The only sounds were the grunts of our labor and repetitious slunk of metal hitting earth. On and on we dug with nothing but the glow from Jasper's flashlight to light our progress._

_Edward was the first to hit something solid. Once I knew we were close to the coffin I helped the boys climb out of the hole. I finished the deed on my own. _

_I stopped for a second once the top of the coffin was unearthed fully. _

_I never made it to Esme's funeral. I actually hadn't returned to Seattle in nearly five years, either. There was still a warrant out for my arrest in the case of her death, but that wasn't what kept me away. I couldn't face her. After I left town that night my friend Marcus had contacted me, promised to take care of all the arrangements. I told him that I would try to make it to the service._

_But I just couldn't face her._

_I had failed my wife without even realizing she needed my protection. She thought her life was safe. Probably thought I was the one getting into bed with her the night she died. _

_The guilt burned inside me like the fires of hell. _

_I was loath to do it, but I reached down to open the lid of her coffin. _

_Blanching at the sight hat met my eyes, I climbed out of the grave and barked for the boys to follow me back to the car immediately. _

_I didn't bother to refill the hole. And I didn't look back as I floored the gas pedal, aiming the car out of town._

"_What was in the lady's grave?" Edward asked innocently._

"_Nothing."_

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Now:**

**(June 28th, 2010)**

**Lesson 10: **Blood's just blood

**Bella PoV (La Push, Washington)**

I flashed a wide, fake smile as Jake turned to wave at me. The pack was heading out for night-surfing, and he had insisted that I join them. And when Jake insisted on something I didn't feel free to refuse.

I tried to convince myself that I was imagining the evil overtones of my stay here with Jake's family. I was here for my own safety, after all. Dad warned when I called him this morning that things were still "unresolved" with Edward and that it would be best if I was protected and safe.

I knew in my heart that Jake just wanted what he thought was best for me. He didn't want anyone to hurt me. I appreciated that.

But I'd be goddamned if I was going to stay here one more second against my will.

It started out in small, innocuous phrases. "Oh Izzy, don't worry about going home just yet." "Izzy, don't you like it here?" "This is your home now."

I didn't think much of it, even after Jake's tantrum on my birthday regarding Edward. He had apologized almost immediately about losing his temper, telling me he was just worried about my safety when it came to the Cullens.

The longer I stayed here, though, the more I started to doubt that these guys were just overly hospitable friends.

My mind was made up to attempt escaping this morning when I had decided to drive back home to check out some books from the library in Port Angeles. I wanted to get a head start on the next semester's reading assignments.

Seth had planted himself in front of my truck with a steely glare. Seth. The most harmless, sweet tempered kid I had ever met. He gave me a line about how the streets weren't safe for me to travel on just yet. I wanted to challenge him but then Sam and Paul showed up and I thought better of it.

Something was coming. Some change that Jacob was anticipating between us. Or maybe it was a hope that whatever was about to happen to Edward would affect me enough to change my feelings for a life here in Push.

_Not that I have any feelings for Edward that I had to worry about_. I wasn't sure.

All I knew was that right now was my only chance to get away.

The boys all disrobed, howling and shrieking with feral glee as they ran toward the crashing waves. Apparently night surfing for werewolves didn't involve the traditional surfboard sport. I was almost intrigued to see what it did entail but I was more interested in freedom. I inched my way back to the line of trees slowly, keeping my eyes on the shadowed figure farthest out in the water. Jacob, no doubt, had his wolf senses honed in on me. My Plan B, if I was caught trying to leave, was to lie and say I was heading back to the house to use the bathroom.

Once I saw all six heads slip under water I turned tail and ran as hard as I could into the forest.

It wasn't the smartest plan, I'll admit that straight off. I was on foot in an unfamiliar terrain and trying to get away from pack animals that could probably smell me hundreds of miles away.

I was 'grasping at straws', as my father would say.

I just had to make it back to the main highway, then a short distance into Forks. My hope was that once I found myself in a group of people, the guys would at least have to think twice about kidnapping me against my will with witnesses around.

I needed to find my dad. He and Emmett would keep me safe and put distance between Jake's pack and me.

A howl echoed in the close distance.

"Oh, shit," I cursed and tried to push myself faster through the woods. I clawed through branches, grunting in pain when one slapped against my cheek.

I could hear something chasing me. For the first time in forever I prayed it was just a normal wolf. Maybe if I was attacked they would have to take me to a hospital and Dad would show up there.

I screamed when I saw the massive creature suddenly in front of me. My feet slid as I braced myself to stop right in front of the beast. My heart thudded in my ears but I wasn't afraid.

It was my wolf…the one from my tattoo… It stood before me as if waiting for instructions.

"Help me," I begged stupidly. I still had no clue how to control the stupid thing, other than the fact that it appeared whenever I felt threatened.

The wolf cocked its head to the side to stare at me for a second then took off running in the opposite direction.

"Asshole!" I yelled after it. That was no help what so ever.

I took a step back to get my bearings before I started running again. I gulped when I slammed into something solid.

A rumbling growl shook my head from behind. Angling my head up, I saw the massive werewolf looking down at me, teeth bared and dripping with saliva.

I grimaced in defeat. I probably hadn't even made it back to the highway yet. I didn't recognize the werewolf and I had seen all of Jake's pack in transformation, this was someone new.

"Going somewhere?" the creature growled, mucus dripped from its sharp fanged teeth on to my shoulder.

I swallowed back the bile that threatened to evacuate my stomach.

I shook my head quickly, stepping to the side to get a better look at the creature. It stood eight feet tall, broad-muscled shoulders, chest and arms. Moonlight behind the creature cast most of its body in shadows. Still, I didn't recognize whoever it was.

"Who are you?" I asked simply out of curiosity.

"Leah," it replied in a rumble of a voice.

_Leah? Seth's older _sister_, Leah? _Unconsciously my eyes dropped down to her crotch. She was definitely built differently from the other werewolves I'd been around—missing a few important pieces of anatomy.

"You see something you like?" she snarled and I shook my head.

She howled.

_Tattletale, _I thought.

"Can I ask you something, Leah?" I asked, grasping at the one last straw that I could think of.

The beast shrugged and I bit the bullet. "Do you think it hurts a girl just as much as I guy to get kicked in the privates?"

I didn't wait for her response. I just slammed my boot as hard as I could in the direction of her uncovered vag. From the way she howled and dropped to her knees I assumed that was a 'yes'.

I ran, the snarling sounds of the werewolves surrounded me as they gained ground faster than I could dream of. Another sound gave me hope and made me run a little bit faster - cars. I was finally close to the highway.

I jumped out on to the road, my arms waving above my head. A truck slammed on its breaks, missing me by inches. I was so relieved I was ready to cry.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" the driver shouted, leaning out his window. I was a panting, shaking mess as I pleaded with him for a ride.

He nodded and I thanked him as I ran around to the passenger side.

"What in the hell happened to you?" he asked when I opened the passenger side door.

"It's a long…" A shriek of fright left my chest as something grabbed my ankle and yanked me away from the truck.

"What the fuck is that!" I heard the driver scream as I disappeared back into the woods.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Carlisle (Lawrence, Kansas, June 21st, 1991)**

I scanned my eyes over the newspaper. The headlines didn't interest me as much as the obits did. You could learn a lot about a town by looking at the less sensational ways in which its people died.

Take for instance Portland, Oregon this past January. There was a string of elderly patients dying of Hypothermia. The cases were far enough apart that no one really thought anything of it, but it was clear that there was something going on that had more to do with the supernatural than just a bunch of old people who didn't pay their electric bill. I looked into the case and found that the ghost of a pissed off air-conditioning repairman was haunting a retirement home.

_Information is key_, I thought. _I should make that a rule._

It was in the small details that the important information was found. At the moment I found myself looking into a pattern of gardening accidents.

"That's weird," I said, finding a story that fit the profile of my case.

Edward squirmed slightly at the sound of my voice and I froze. It had taken me thirty minutes to get him to fall asleep. I didn't even breathe as he situated himself, snuggling further into my chest. Only after his breathing evened out did I begin to slowly relax.

Rolling my eyes I returned them to the tragic story of one Martha Lewis. Mrs. Lewis had just won a prize for her rose garden a few weeks ago. She was found dead in her garden just yesterday. There was no real cause of death listed. The family had requested no autopsy be performed since there was no sign of foul play.

_Maybe she made a deal? _I hypothesized. I had heard of people making deals with demons, or even witches, for personal gain. The usual price for such agreements was your life…or your soul.

_Over a prized rose garden, though? _I wondered. It seemed like such a trivial thing for which to just toss your eternal soul over for.

"Attack of the garden gnomes?" I guessed, reading the obit for another victim - Mr. Harrison. As a science teacher at the local high school Mr. Harrison had lived a mundane, boring existence until last summer when he was found dead in his garden one Sunday morning.

Mr. Harrison and Mrs. Lewis were just two of what looked to be about ten unexplained garden-related deaths spread out over the past five years. The obituaries didn't show anything unusual though, just that over the past five years around this time of year two people passed away while gardening.

I shifted slowly towards the chair next to me and retrieved the phone book, scanning the pages as gingerly as possible to not wake up the baby on my chest.

"Three possible locations," I noted quietly. "Better check them out."

I started to stand, but when my hands settled on Edward to stabilize him, I froze.

_What the hell do I do with the kid?_

There was a voice inside my head that told me just to leave him in his car seat in the motel room. I probably wouldn't be gone more than an hour or so. He'd just sleep and all would be good, right?

A million different possibilities of what could go wrong in five minutes, let alone an hour ran through my head. I knew I wasn't being rational about even considering leaving him here but I didn't have anyone I could trust to watch him. And taking him to the scene of a monster hunt wasn't the best idea either.

I'd been lucky on all my hunts till now. This would be my fifth actual hunt and first since leaving Forks. When I hunted in the Pacific Northwest I could always rely on the nuns at the orphanage to watch Edward. I knew they'd keep him safe.

I didn't really think this whole get-on-the-road-and-find-some-answers thing out very well.

Edward squirmed, stretching his arms and propping his chin on my chest to gaze up at me. He could be so creepy sometimes. He hardly ever made a sound; even when he was fussy, he mostly would just whimper instead of cry. His green eyes were always wide with wonder, and he watched everything with so much intensity that I would swear his cognitive responses were more highly developed than was normal for his age.

I could tell he was thinking about something, but I had no clue what.

"Wanna go on a trip?" I asked, feeling like some scientist talking to an alien species.

His tiny eyelids blinked slowly as he just kept staring at me in silence. I sighed, looking around for some sort of inspiration of how to make this work. Abandoning him in the hotel room wasn't an option. Leaving him strapped to the car seat in the car was an even worse idea.

"Baby Björn it is," I determined.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Edward PoV (June 28th, 2010, Rio)**

Fire and ice.

I burned and froze all at the same time. Squelching heat and numbing chills.

After Marcus bit me, my body had become consumed by blinding hot pain. He stood over me, watching as I writhed in the flames. I'm not sure how long he waited to take pity on me but eventually I felt a cool wrist against my lips- an unidentified moisture seeping on to my lips. It wasn't the consistency of blood but it oozed from a tear in his skin just the same.

Initially, I cowered back from the invasion, repulsed that the first attempt at feeding me since I was brought here was forcing me to drink from his veins. My reservations were quickly forgotten once the nectar touched my tongue. I didn't know what to call it, but I couldn't drink enough of it. Like a drug…heroin-laced blood; I didn't know what it was but I was an instant addict to the taste.

Wild desire gripped me and I strained against the restraints to get closer to the source of the liquid.

"Release him," Marcus commanded. I snarled in relief once the chains were removed. I snatched his wrist between my hands and fed - sucking on the wound with all of my might.

"You're all the same," Marcus proclaimed, a hint of irony twisting his words. "You claim to be strong, evolved, but humans are all alike. No different than the animals roaming the forests beyond these walls. So easily changed. So easily controlled."

I felt him pat my head, like I was some cherished pet.

I didn't give a shit. The liquid flowing into my mouth was squelching the flames. While my skin and muscles still burned, my blood began to freeze.

"Take him to the jet for the change," Marcus commanded. "I have business in Mexico to attend to."

I howled as his hand was ripped from my hands. "No! More…_please, _I need more!" I begged.

"You will have more soon enough, Edward," he promised.

I wanted to fight more, rip his hand off completely and drink from it as if it were a goblet filled with the sweetest wine, but my body was beginning to revolt. My muscles cramped, my stomach feeling as though it was turning inside out. By the time I was deposited in the seat on the airplane, I felt like my skin was being torn from my body.

I screamed, snarling against the pain that bent my body in odd directions. My head thrashed from side to side as my nails clawed at the leather seat beneath me.

I felt as though my soul was being burned from my body - a purge of my humanity.

I could feel my skin change, hear my bones harden; my senses were becoming sharper which made the pain all the more devastating.

And then as if someone had thrown open a flood gate, a rush of voices invaded my mind. My vision was filled with sights from eyes that weren't mine. My heart ached with worries that weighed on someone else's soul.

My thoughts were no longer my own.

I beat my head against the concrete floor, begging for oblivion.

"Just let me die…just let me die…" I pleaded to the noisy darkness.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Jasper PoV (June 29th, 2010, Mexico City)**

"I didn't mean to hit you so hard," Alice confessed.

The world was spinning when I opened my eyes. First I saw four of her, then two. I was almost ready to barf when my eyes finally settled on just one Alice, solid and whole in front of me.

"Why did you have to hit me at all?" I groaned, sitting up and taking in my surroundings. Night had fallen and I was propped up against the wall of some huge warehouse in the middle of nowhere. "Where are we? How long have I been out?" I hissed as pain shot through my temple once more. "Seriously, why did you have to knock me out?"

Alice was seated next to me with a look of annoyance twisting her features.

"I told you, I didn't mean to knock you out. I had a vision just as I approached you, and I reacted on instinct." She pouted, looking abashed that she had lost control. "We're in Mexico City."

I flinched, surveying my surroundings. "Mexico City? What the hell are we doing here?" I roared, panicked. "Edward is in Rio!"

Alice sighed. "Sadly, he's not. Rhea wants to meet Marcus on more neutral ground so she's asked him to meet her here, in her hometown. She doesn't understand the concept that nothing is neutral with the Volturi."

I shook my head, the last bit of dizziness still hanging on. "What…who…What the hell are we doing in Mexico City!" I repeated, clueless.

Alice pursed her lips, gazing at me like a disappointed parent. "Edward really is the smarter one, you know that."

I nodded with raised eyebrows. "Allow my fifteen year old self to reply - _duh_."

"Rhea plans to propose a trade with Marcus. Me for the safety of her little band of rebels," she explained.

"What about Edward?"

"She doesn't give a shit about Edward, Jasper." I flinched again. "You were a means to an end…Edward's fate is in their hands now."

The reality of her words started to sink in but I tried to ignore it. "What time is it?"

"You've been asleep for about …ten hours."

"Ten hours?" I asked in shock. "How hard did you hit me?"

"I didn't hit you _that _hard," she defended. "I think you were just tired. When was the last time you slept?"

I shook off the question, hardly giving a shit if she was concerned for my health. I opted for deflection instead, focusing on what she said let to the bump on my head.

"Alice, we _have _to stop meeting like this. So what was the vision that caused me such a headache? Was it the fact that you had to carry me to Mexico? "

She shrugged, obviously adopting my childish posture. "It's not important."

I noticed a tightening in the muscles around her eyes, a stiffening in her shoulders.

_Liar._

"You know, Carlisle left Edward and me with the Swans the one summer that Isabella took dance class. The girl was always award knees and flailing elbows…kind of like Bambi." I laughed at the memory. "But she loved it, and she made Edward practice the steps with her every night. He did it too." I shook my head. "That boy would have stood on his head for an hour if that girl told him to. He would have bitched the whole time he was doing it, but he sure as hell would have done it."

I cast a glance at the woman sitting next to me, knowing full well that I was no different than my brother.

"I don't understand. Why are you telling me this?" she asked.

"Edward was okay with Iz pulling him into a dance…making him stumble around like a damn fool. But I'm not Edward, Alice," I warned. "So cut the bullshit, please."

She closed her eyes slowly, dropping her face as if she was trying to hide from me.

"What is it?"

"I can't fix it, Jasper," she whispered. I could hear tears in her voice but when she looked back up at me her eyes were dry. "I tried…so hard…for so long. It's useless. I'm useless."

My chest started to ache as I watched her. I ignored it, clearing my throat. "Maybe I should have used a merry-go-round metaphor instead," I teased.

Alice sighed, jumping to her feet. "You're going to be one of us, okay?" she hissed. "I saw you, on your knees in front of…that bitch, with a human's neck clenched between your teeth. You were drinking blood…with skin as immortal as mine, eyes as red as the blood that poured from that dead girl's neck…"

I stared at her for a moment dumbfounded by what she'd just said. _Me a monster? _It wasn't far-fetched but still…I just couldn't believe it. Sure I'd done some horrible things in my life, a lot of them in just the past week with Rhea, but me become some immortal demon?

"Wait, you drink blood?" I asked.

Alice nodded as if I'd just asked the stupidest question ever. "Of course, haven't you ever watched Rhea hunt?"

My turn to throw the give-me-a-break-glare. "No, they hunt when I'm asleep. I thought they didn't really need to eat anything. So you're all…V-v-v…" I couldn't bring myself to say it. My father had instilled many rules into my brother and me.

"_Don't leave your gun in the car. Family is everything. Always wash your hands after peeing." _All highly useful idioms to live by. And he would always end each of them with, _"and don't forget, there's no such thing as vampires."_

Alice nodded even though the word wouldn't come out. I laughed indignantly.

"I am _not _going to be one of you," I spat, standing to glare down at her. "You all go around sinking your teeth into strangers and sucking on their bodily fluids. Ew." I shook my head in disgust. "Other than swapping the occasional saliva and…some lady bits appreciation… I don't relish the idea of anyone else's funk in my mouth."

I planted my hands on my hips when she raised a challenging eyebrow. "Oh, but you will, Jasper. And so much sooner than you think."

_Arguing with a psychic is gonna be the death of me someday_.

"Uh," I grunted in frustration. "Sister, you are so damn…" _Infuriating. Annoying. Stubborn. Freaking me out. _

I started to pace, feeling an overwhelming dose of uncertainty creeping in under my skin. Emotions were speeding through me like the rush of energy from a Red Bull. I was shaky with need. Weak with desire. And on edge with pain.

_What the fuck is happening to me? _I glared at Alice, realizing it was her. Her presence. Just having her close to me again was like recharging a battery. My eyes misted over at the thought.

_Oh holy shit, I'm turning into a PSMing chick. _

I tried to temper the onslaught of unwanted feelings with my anger. That just made me feel like I was being torn in half.

I squeezed my hands into fists, dementedly wishing I was squeezing them around her neck.

"It's unavoidable now," she whispered, looking off into the distance as if she'd dismissed me.

"And it's all your fault," I pointed out, getting in her face. She wasn't going to shut me out this time.

"My fault?" she gasped. "You're the idiot who let her touch you…kiss you. You're the jerk who…who…" For the first time in my life Alice lost it. I'd seen hints of her anger or frustration before but never this. She snarled, her black eyes widening with rage. Her whole body shook like a rocket about ready to explode.

God help me she looked downright sexy when she mad.

I was so entranced by the image that I didn't realize she had raised her hand to slap me until my cheek stung in pain.

"How could you? How could you do that…with her! When I've never…How could you…" Her voice cracked again with unshed tears. I staggered back from her attack, stunned that she was willing to be so vulnerable in that moment. Alice had always been a fortress of secrets to me, even as a kid. I felt weak with the need to help her. To apologize to her.

But then I remembered the hows and whys of my actions. I grabbed her arm as she swung for a second slap. "Don't act all innocent," I hissed, shoving her hand back and advancing on her. She stumbled back from me until she was pressed up against the wall.

"You had every opportunity to change those cards," I whispered menacingly. I slapped my hands on either side of her head as I glared down at her.

Those eyes that had been so full of rage moments ago were huge with an entirely different emotion. She stared up at me, her breath escaping her lungs rapidly. The vulnerability was back and mixing with something else. Something that called to me.

Without command from me my lips lowered to hers. I froze a millimeter from kissing her, holding her eyes.

"I'm done letting you take the lead, Alice," I whispered a second before my lips touched hers.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Carlisle PoV (Lawrence, Kansas, June 21st, 1991)**

I surveyed the gardening supply store warily as I parked across the street. It was the third stop for the night and I hoped it wasn't another dead end.

Edward quietly cased the joint from the backseat. I caught sight of him in the rearview mirror and smiled to myself.

"You wanna go for a walk?" I asked, knowing he wouldn't reply.

I stepped out of the car as gently as possible, sweeping the area with my eyes continuously as I made my way to the trunk.

I propped the trunk open and pulled out what I thought I might need from the arsenal. A handgun, some holy water, bag of salt… I fished around for a small silver dagger. I wasn't exactly sure what I would find, if I found anything at all. The other two gardening supply stores had been a bust, both closed down and boarded up.

This one at least looked like it was still in service.

I walked around to the back seat and strapped on the Björn before retrieving Edward and swearing as I fought to slide him into the contraption. I decided to have him facing me since I didn't know what we would find and I didn't want to scar the kid for life.

_Do you even hear yourself, Carlisle? _I thought.

I mentally rolled my eyes at myself. I had to look like the most ridiculous person ever, standing in the middle of a vacant street at two o'clock in the morning with an infant strapped to my chest. I slid the bottle of holy water into the Björn next to Edward. I figured if nothing else it would protect him if something evil hit me. Most of the things that could actually get the drop on me were susceptible to holy water.

I finished attaching all of my gear and did some quick squats to loosen up my legs in case I needed to run. I wasn't out of shape or anything but I wasn't used to carrying a baby while fighting supernatural forces.

"Maybe I should have left you at the orphanage," I whispered, patting Edward's back. He stared up at me with a vacant expression that made me feel guilty. I might have never asked to end up as Edward Masen's caregiver but when I made a promise I stuck to it. His fate was in my hands now.

_Literally,_ I thought as I walked across the street.

I peeked through the front windows of the shop. Everything was closed down, all the lights turned of. I cut through the side alley to find the backdoor.

"It's always just a matter of time till you show up, old man," a female voice hissed the darkness ahead of me.

I jumped behind a dumpster to hide.

_Guess I was on the right track,_ I thought, peeking around the corner of the dumpster to spy on the situation.

"You've got the wrong guy," the 'old man' pleaded. He was surrounded by three women.

I couldn't see any weapons on the women, but it was apparent that the man was afraid of them.

_Maybe demons?_

"Who do you think you're talking to, Eleazar?" one of the women asked. "I'd know your stink anywhere."

"Posing as a garden fairy, clever, but not enough to outsmart us."

"I've already told your masters, there's nothing I can help you with," Eleazar blubbered. One of the women slapped the back of her hand across his cheek. He fell back as if she had used a baseball bat to strike him.

"Your services will be required until we tell you differently," the lead female informed him.

I swallowed, my heart in my throat. I didn't know what to do. Innocent people were dying, probably thanks to the four beings having it out in the alley in front of me. But I didn't have any idea what any of them were.

I looked down at Edward. He'd fallen asleep since we left the car.

"Seriously?" I whispered in disbelief.

Apparently I wasn't as stealthy as I thought. When I looked back up I was met with four pairs of curious eyes aimed in my direction.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Jasper PoV: (Mexico City, June 29th, 2010)**

I remember the day I lost my virginity. It was such a mind-blowing beautiful moment. One of those I-finally-know-what-I've-been-put-on-this-earth-to-do kind of moments. I know it wasn't very good for the chick. Hell, I didn't even bother remembering her name. But it was awesome for me.

My life had never been my own. I lived in an orphanage where I wished to remember a life with parents I never met. Then I was adopted into a family that lived on the road, turning me into a guard dog. There was never a moment, or action of my life, that was just for me. That I could control, and that could give me release from the responsibilities swirling around me.

But an orgasm….now _that _was something I could get behind. For a second, everything could be right in my world. For a few mindless hours I could just fade away and act on instincts that did nothing but make me feel good. It was something that was all mine. Not dictated by Carlisle's rules or conditional on anyone's actions but my own. It made me feel powerful, wanted, in control. And I was damn good at it.

I spent every single available second I could from that moment on to recreate that moment of bliss. Honing my skills like the soldier that I was raised to be. Strip clubs, bars, college co-ed parties…I didn't give a shit where I had to go hunting, I was always up for a good catch.

I had slept with more women than I cared to remember. Some guys like to keep tallies, but for me it was never about conquest, only about escape. The more women I could bed just meant the more times I could feel good. Trouble was, I was just temporarily filling a void. I spent so much damn time trying to escape and so I was always on the run.

A junkie looking for a fix.

Rhea was no different than any of those other women in my past. In fact, she monopolized on that root of my personality that craved release so badly. I was reduced to the base instinct that I had found that day in the back of VW bug when I was fifteen. It didn't mean anything. It was all chemical. Almost painful to experience now.

I honestly thought that I would never feel good being with a woman again. That Rhea had burned the good part out of me when she recruited me to be her servant.

One touch of Alice's lips blew that theory out of the water.

Shit, one deep, slow kiss with Alice was more powerful than any other moment I'd spent with any woman ever.

We moaned in unison as I deepened the kiss. I could tell she wanted to end it before it began. She started to squirm out from under me but I thrust my hips forward to pin her against the wall. She gasped at the contact, and I took advantage of the situation - savoring the unique taste of her mouth like it was the sweetest delicacy in the world. She was so much shorter than me that I was worried she might be in pain so I gripped her legs just below her ass and lifted her up. Her legs secured around my waist with another throaty moan from her.

"You taste good," I whispered breathlessly between kisses. Her lips were noticeably colder than mine but somehow that only added to the sweet taste. She tasted like a chocolate milkshake, and it had been too damn long since I had dessert.

I groaned as she rubbed against my crotch. My jeans were stretched tight enough to burst, and I was just about ready to risk getting thrown in jail for public exposure.

"No, Jasper…no," she weakly protested as she pressed her lips against mine once more. Her fingers were woven through my hair, lightly tugging. I smiled against her lips.

_Always a woman of contradictions_. She couldn't fool me. Alice could hide everything behind her collected exterior but I knew the truth. I could feel what she felt. There was a heat between us that threatened to burn us both to ash. A fire that would consume the two of us if we weren't careful.

My heart hammered in my chest as I started to rock against her instinctively. Unlike every other time I had done this dance though I wasn't just seeking release. I wanted to join with her. Become one with her. I felt like I was at the gates of Heaven, one step away from entering eternal salvation.

"_Alice_," I groaned, gripping her hips and forcing her down to meet my thrusts.

"Stop, Jasper…_please_," she begged but as she spoke her legs tightened around me, drawing me closer.

My movements were frenzied, my hips moving faster as I dry humped my way into oblivion. I'm sure there were lots of people in the streets around us, but I couldn't hear anything but Alice's labored pants. She whimpered when I hit her sweet spot, and the sound nearly undid me.

"Please…please…" she moaned.

"Please don't stop on my account."

I froze at the sound of Rhea's voice. Alice squeaked, her legs locking around me so tightly that I was afraid she would snap me in half.

"Goddamnit," I muttered under my breath. Why did the universe have to hate me so much?

"_Mira,_ I knew we were going about this all wrong back in Texas," Rhea explained. I could hear her walking toward us. "Like a moth to a flame. Think about setting him loose, let little sister take the bait and… here we are."

I dropped my face into the crook of Alice's neck, inhaling her scent to hold with me.

"Jasper," Alice whispered. "I see something."

"What is it?" I whispered. I could hear Rhea slowly gaining ground. I only had a few seconds to find out what Alice was seeing before I wouldn't be in control anymore.

"Don't worry about me. Just get out…get Edward out. When you find him, get to the front of the building. Once you're outside, turn left. Find Isabella. Edward will need her to heal," she breathed the instructions into my ear and I prayed that Rhea couldn't hear her. None of it made any sense, but I was starting to learn that nothing about Alice ever made sense.

"Kiss her goodbye, _mi amor,_" Rhea told me with disdain dripping from her tongue. I held her steely gaze for a second before turning back to Alice.

"This isn't over," I vowed, pressing my lips against hers one last time.

"Jasper, step away from her," Rhea commanded, rubbing the back of her fingers against my cheek. I wanted to vomit at the feeling of her skin against mine. I couldn't fight the power that she wielded over me, though. I had to let Alice go.

Alice's legs loosened from around me and she slid back to a standing position as I stepped away from her.

"What was the plan, Little Sister?" Rhea asked, prowling toward Alice like a cat toying with a trapped mouse.

I wanted to throw myself in front of Alice. Cut off Rhea's head and free everyone here. But I couldn't fight Rhea's power over me. My head hung with defeat.

"I didn't have a plan," Alice replied, casually. "I'm sorta wingin' it."

I smirked. There she went, putting up her façade again.

Rhea surveyed the area, glaring between me and Alice. "You're lucky we found her, Jasper."

"Luck had nothing to do with it," Alice argued. "Do you honestly think it's going to make a difference one way or another? Marcus won't let your little family of bastards live. You should just run now while you still can."

"You always were a conceited little shit," Rhea spat, snarling in Alice's face. "You think I don't know when you're lying to me? You think after centuries of knowing you that I can't tell when you're bluffing?"

"You might survive today, but you don't stand a chance," Alice warned.

"Maybe…and maybe I know more than you think I know. Like who he _really _is," Rhea said, angling her head in my direction.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked. Rhea glared at me over her shoulder and I doubled over in pain. My body didn't jive with the idea of challenging her.

"So he's my match," Alice shrugged, "that's nothing new for the Volturi to exploit. Marcus will find that boring, especially if you plan to just hand me over."

Rhea laughed. Everyone, including Alice squirmed at the sound of the insane cackle. "You _know _that those ancient tales of fate are not what I'm talking about. I don't give a shit about matched pairs. I'm talking about birthrights. I know where he comes from." The hairs on my arms were standing on end as she spoke. "She was smart. Hid it while with the Guard and ran straight to that little monster hospital of yours to claim that she lost it. But you can't deny blood. I _know_ who his mother is. That trumps the brat that they have in custody right now…Shit, it trumps them getting _you _back. Doesn't it?"

Impossible as it seemed, Alice looked paler when I met her eyes. I had no fucking clue why the woman who abandoned me was so important but I could tell from the look in Alice's eyes that Rhea had a point.

"Don't give him to them," Alice begged. "Please…I'll join your army, pledge my allegiance. I'll scan your future and help you win each battle…just don't tell them who he is."

My jaw dropped. "What the hell…"

Rhea laughed again. "Oh, Little Sister…that's such a tempting offer, but I have very different plans for Jasper. There's a reason they want him. Which is enough reason for me to keep him. _Para siempre_."

"No!" Alice screamed, lunging at Rhea with her teeth bared. Two of Rhea's troops caught her. I was mortified to find even myself leaning forward to protect her from the attack.

"Jasper," Rhea purred, walking over to me. She ran her hands down the sides of my face, stroking her fingers through my hair. My eyes rolled back with the effort to fight the effect she had on me.

"I need you to do something for me," she whispered.

"Anything," I whispered back, against my will. God help me, I tried to fight it. With every ounce of my strength. It felt like trying to resist gravity, though. No matter what I did, I belonged to Rhea.

"Stop…_No_…don't do this to him!" Alice pleaded.

"Jasper, I would like for you to pledge your mortality to me, _por favor,_" Rhea proposed.

"What does that mean?" I asked, finding my mouth suddenly dry.

Rhea pulled a dagger from her boot, drawing it across the palm of her hand. "Give me your hand," she commanded.

I did so without hesitation. She pushed the sleeve of my jacket up far enough to expose my wrist.

"I bind you with a venom oath to my coven. You will one day become an immortal. One day be our brother. And you will serve my will completely. Only death can break you from this curse."

She slit the dagger across my wrist quickly. There was no blood, in fact the skin healed back together immediately leaving a thing silver scar. At first it felt like nothing had changed but soon my wrist began to burn.

"What did you do?" I asked, clenching my hand into a fist against the burn.

"Now, you are mine."

"So what…I'm gonna be one of you now?" I guessed. Alice's vision. She said I would be one of them, and sooner than I thought.

"_Lo siento,_ baby, but no. Only the venom of a master can truly change you. I'm just tightening my leash."

"Ah," I hissed, clutching my wrist to my chest. "What the hell," I gasped. The pain was increasing, pulsing from that spot on my wrist and spreading throughout my body.

"You feel it, don't you, Jasper?" Rhea whispered, running her fingers through my hair. Fuck if I could explain it but for once I didn't fight against it. I leaned into her touch like a damn housebroken dog.

She ran the dagger along the palm of her hand a second time, this time she raised the open wound to my mouth.

Without hesitation I pressed my lips to cut, running my tongue along the parted flesh.

I moaned as I drank.

"Venom poisoning will kill him!" Alice screamed, still struggling against the guards who held her down.

"Don't worry your pretty little psychic head, Little Sister," Rhea said, continuing to pet me as I licked her hand. "I have big plans for him."

She drew her hand away from me. "_More_," I whimpered.

"Soon," Rhea whispered. "For now stand up and fall in line."

I did as I was told. Alice was a forgotten nuisance once I joined the troops.

"Keep them apart," she instructed as the two holding Alice joined the rest of the group.

"It's time."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Carlisle PoV (Lawrence, Kansas June 21, 1991)**

I ducked as the redhead took a second swing at me. All hell had broken loose once the three women saw me spying on their confrontation.

The women were faster than any demon I had seen before. They were impervious to bullets too. I had resorted to using a garbage can lid like a shield, praying that Edward would be safe.

After first all three women started for me but soon Eleazar was fighting two of them off. The persistent redhead stayed focused on attacking me.

"You picked the wrong alley to cut through tonight, sweetie," she hissed, swiping her hands at me like she was a cat.

"Here!" Eleazar shouted, waving to draw our attention. "You want that book…you've got to pry it from my dead fingers." He ran into the gardening store and the three women were right on his heels.

At that point I had the perfect opportunity to run away. I could jump into the Impala and head straight out of town without ever looking back. Edward and I had survived this one. Maybe we hadn't won but if I left now we would be alive.

Something pushed me towards the door. Some morbid curiosity, or maybe it was a chivalry that would one day get me killed. I didn't know. I couldn't just leave town now. I had to see what was this all was about.

"Where's the book, old man?" the blonde woman in the group asked. I could see that her arms were covered in tattoos of hellish creatures. She also had a wide assortment of metal piercings all over the exposed parts of her body.

The redhead glanced at the door as I quietly entered the building. I ducked behind a shelf filled with pesticides, hoping she didn't see me. She continued to survey the room but didn't make a move in my direction. She had a silver scar along her left cheek that, combined with her wild mane of red curls, gave her a feral look.

The third woman in the group had brown hair that was pulled back into braids on either side of her head. She seemed more interested in the plants than the interrogation. She eyed a Venus flytrap next to her like she was looking at a puppy in a pet shop.

"Back room," Eleazar said. The redhead stepped forward, grabbing him and shoving him towards the room.

"Go get it," she barked.

Eleazar disappeared through the door to the back room, and I had a moment of panic. What if there was an exit back there and he was making his escape?

I started to shift my weight forward, causing Edward to squawk quietly in protest.

All three heads snapped in my direction.

"Oh shit," I muttered. It seemed I was suffering from déjà vu tonight.

The sound of the chainsaw was like the bugle cry of the Calvary. The redhead was in back of the group, closest to the storage room. She was so distracted by my appearance that she didn't have time to react to Eleazar's attack.

Bones snapped, flesh ripped and the chainsaw dislocated her head from her body faster than I had expected.

"Get out," he warned her companions as her red-haired head spun on the floor.

"This isn't over, Eleazar," the blonde promised. She and the brunette, carrying the Venus flytrap, fled from the building.

"What were those things?" I asked, my heart jack hammering in my chest. The redhead lay at his feet, her dislocated head two feet away from her body. And not a drop of blood in sight.

He sighed, tossing the chainsaw on to the counter behind him. He seemed unaffected by what he had just done.

"Vampires. _Damn_. I thought they wouldn't cross the pond." He shrugged off the deduction as if he had found an infestation of rodents in his basement.

"Vampires? Like…Bela Lugosi stalking chicks in dark alleys?" I stammered like a moron.

The man cast me a bewildered look before nodding. "Yes. Well…sort of. They're not at all as well-dressed as Dracula, I'm afraid," he sighed, offering me a hand to help me to my feet. Once I was standing he noticed the Björn strapped to my chest.

I looked down at the alarmed twist of his brow to find Edward still fast asleep. Even though it went against every terrified bone in my body, I smiled slightly at the sight.

"You brought a baby…to a vampire hunt?" the man asked incredulously.

I shrugged. "I don't have any sitters on speed dial."

He shook his head, fighting a smile as he reached his hand out to me. "Thanks, kid, I owe you one."

I shook his hand, nodding. "Sure thing, Mr.?"

"Name's Eleazar," he replied. He pulled out a pack of smokes from his pocket, placing one between his lips and freezing just as he struck a match. His eyes met mine, and only then did I realize that I was glaring at him.

"So he can fight vampires but not breathe my second hand smoke?" Eleazar teased, shaking off the flame of his match without lighting his cigarette.

"I never claimed to be good at this," I spat, immediately on the defensive.

"You ever consider leaving him with his mother?"

I just shook my head. It had been a year since that night but the image of Elizabeth Masen's body engulfed in flames was still fresh in my mind. I didn't look forward to the day that I had to tell the little boy tucked against my chest about that night.

"So," I searched for the proper way to discuss what we'd just survived.

Eleazar held up his hand to stop me. "Not the time, kid. But I owe you one, so here…" he pulled a business card from his jacket pocket, handing it to me. "If you ever need anything, just call."

I stared down at the card for a minute. There wasn't anything fancy on it, not even his name. Just a ten digit phone number.

"Thanks," I said, tucking the card in my back pocket. When I looked back up, he was gone.

I shook my head, looking down at Edward, sleeping away like we were on the couch at the motel and hadn't just lived through a showdown with three vampires.

"This he sleeps through. Lullabies and soft blankets he can't stand, but this…this he's comfortable with."

I patted his back. It was a good thing for him to become accustomed to this world. I wasn't sure why just yet but I knew Edward's future was wrapped around this world of supernatural creatures. Whether he wanted it to be or not.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Edward PoV (Mexico City, June 29th, 2010)**

Time passed.

The ice cooled the burn and the fire warmed me from the freeze. My body found a comfortably numb balance. I could feel that the temperature of the room was approximately fifty degrees Fahrenheit, but my skin no longer felt cold.

My brain began functioning on higher levels, the capacity for my cognitive motor functions expanding infinitely.

All at once I was reliving what had just occurred, replaying my entire life full of memories, pondering where my brother might be, sensing the boundaries of the basement storage room that was my new prison and sorting through the thoughts of every mind in this building.

It made sense to me now, what Eleazar had said. _"There won't be a mind within a hundred miles of this place that can hide anything from you."_

It was some special, latent ability that I now possessed. Mind reading. As effortless as blinking, and as natural as breathing I could now look into the thoughts of any mind close to me. I spent the first several hours after the pain subsided focusing this ability like targeting a muscle for a specific skill. I found that if I concentrated on one particular mental voice from all the others, the remaining voices became a dull hum in the background of my mind. Instead of being invaded by thousands of thoughts, I could focus on just my own and feeling white noise at the edges of my mind.

_This will be my new version of sanity,_ I lamented silently. As far as I could tell this ability wasn't going away anytime soon. I would have to live with hearing a countless voices all at once. Short of hiding thousands of feet underground with no other signs of human life around me I would never again be able to find peace and quiet.

I followed the path of noisy thoughts to the main conference room, six floors above where I was located. I witnessed the room through the eyes of several guards positioned around the perimeter of the group secluded in meeting.

Marcus sat at the head of a long conference table with an interesting assortment of players around him. In attendance was a woman with tan skin and red eyes whom I didn't recognize. A handful of the woman's associates were seated at the table, two of which were holding a defeated looking Sister Mary Alice. To my surprise, my brother was seated next to the woman. Jasper's thoughts were quiet, his mind filled with the image of the woman he was sitting next to - Rhea. I watched him through the eyes of everyone at the table. He looked like shit. Like he hadn't slept in a month.

_Something's wrong with Jasper's mind,_ I reasoned. It wasn't normal for him to be this quiet, even inside his head. Though someone was humming the chorus to _Iron Man _in their head. That had to be Jazz.

"_Thank you for finding time in your busy schedule to meet with us," _the tan woman, Rhea said.

"_You are my child," _Marcus told her_. "You will always be a priority of mine, Maria."_

The woman smiled to hide an overwhelming rush of anxious thoughts. She hid it well but I could see the terror in her mind. She fought to forget memories of torture that she had once endured at the hands of her so-called father_. _

"_I must admit that I am surprised to see you…and your…_abominations_ at my door at this late hour," _Marcus continued. He kept his thoughts guarded, controlled. I wasn't sure if this was a usual practice or if he had anticipated my new ability and wanted to keep me out.

Maria swallowed slowly, formulating her response_. "I want to ask…your permission to…"_

"_Allow your little bastards to continue to live?" _Marcus supplied_. _

Maria held on to her composure but mentally flinched at his words. She started back tracking her plans.

"_I brought you a peace offering," _she defended, waving toward Alice_. _

Marcus chuckled_. "One daughter for another? I want you both back. Tell me, do you have a reason for me not to keep you both?"  
><em>

Marcus shifted his gaze toward Alice and I focused my ability on her thoughts. All I could see was darkness. Not the absence of thoughts but…a blanket of darkness, like her mind was covered in shadows.

"_Let her go." _Alice spoke softly, her eyes focused on the table in front of her.

Marcus sneered_. "You've been away for too long, my daughter, if you have forgotten that I do not take orders. I give them."_

A chill ran down my spine. Maria's mind was filled with memories of punishments for insubordination. Her collected façade began to crack_._

"_Now, about this boy you have with you," _Marcus asked, indicating Jasper with a nod of his head.

Maria's thoughts were on red alert_. I can tell him who this kid is…that's my ticket out_, she thought_._

"_No!" _Alice shrieked. In her mind I could see Marcus snapping Jasper's neck.

I was on my feet and clawing at the door to my cell in the blink of an eye_. _

"_Don't you dare!" _Alice was screaming at Maria. I saw that Marcus hadn't moved, and Jasper was still alive.

_Alice can see the future?_ I realized_._

I started banging on the door, praying that someone would hear me. _Help_.

I saw myself in Alice's mind next, a woman was speaking to me. That vision dissolved and Alice threw herself across the conference table to grab Jasper's hand. The second her skin touched his he jumped from his chair.

Chaos broke out in the board room. I couldn't single out any one mind from the rest. Jasper escaped the room but I couldn't hear his mind to see where he was headed.

I turned around, resting my back against the door. My mind bounced from every guard I could locate in the building. I couldn't find Jasper. I could hear footsteps outside my cell. The door swung open just as I stepped away from it. A woman stood in the doorway - the woman that Alice had seen speaking to me.

"Edward," she whispered, surveying the condition of my newly changed body.

"Who are you?" I asked, frustrated that I couldn't just pluck the information from her head.

Her mind was filled with thoughts of Jasper. She was terrified for his safety.

"You have to trust me. Jasper won't make it to the basement alive. Take those stairs to the courtyard. Then the second hall to your right will lead you to the lobby."

I couldn't explain why I believed it, but I knew could trust her. She had a kind face. I felt as though I knew her. There was something so familiar about her but I couldn't place it.

"Go now!" she urged, running off to occupy the guards.

I followed her instructions, hoping like hell that my big brother made it to the courtyard alive.

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Carlisle PoV (Lawrence, Kansas June 21st, 1991)**

I sighed as I entered the motel room, looking forward to a nice long rest

"Vampires?" I mumbled absentmindedly. "I'll add that to the list of weird shit to research."

_Beheadings, _I reminded myself. _One surefire way to end a vamp was cutting off the head._

I sat Edward's car seat on the floor and unhooked his restraints. He usually liked to climb out on his own so I took off my jacket and started to make a mental check list of everything I would need to do tomorrow.

"D-d-d," Edward started making noise as he crawled out of his carrier. I looked over in time to see him pull himself up on two slightly steady legs.

"What the…" I muttered. He hadn't tried to do that before. Well, maybe he had at the orphanage but never when I was around. "Are you trying to…"

Before I could finish my sentence he turned toward me with his arms out-stretched. I mimicked him by holding my hands out to him, encouraging him to walk towards me.

I held my breath as he lifted his right leg gingerly.

"D-d-d," he mumbled, tottering forward while swaying as he alternated his feet awkwardly. He managed three wobbly steps before plopping on to his butt. He wasn't discouraged though.

"Rule number twenty nine," I told him. "Giving up is not an option."

He shoved off from the floor, determined to reach me this time. He took three more shaky steps and tumbled into my waiting arms. My chest felt ready to burst with joy. It was such a small thing, a tiny accomplishment compared to what this kid would face as he grew up, but my heart was swelling with pride.

"You did it," I cheered. My smile fell as I realized this meant I could probably kiss my long morning showers goodbye.

"Da, da, da," he kept repeating. I lifted him up and smiled to see the big grin on his face. His green eyes were bright with joy.

"Da-d," he said, laying his hand against my cheek.

My heart clenched in my chest. "Did you just call me Dad?" I asked in disbelief. I referred to myself as Dad when I talked to him, but I had all but given up hope that Edward would ever speak. It felt surreal to consider that he thought of me as his dad.

I wasn't technically his father. And like I did many nights since I found him, I wondered if his father was still alive. Maybe he was looking for his lost son even now…

"Dad," Edward repeated, smacking his hand against my face playfully.

I smiled, leaning forward to kiss his forehead.

"Now and forever, kiddo."

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**Jasper PoV (Mexico City, June 29th, 2010)**

The touch of Alice's hand against mine was like an electric shock back to my senses. Rhea had warned her troops not to let us touch, now I understood why.

_Get Edward out. When you get outside, turn left. _Her warning was going off in my head like an alarm.

Alice started a tussle with the vampires closest to her and though I wanted to stick around and help I knew I couldn't. I had to find my baby brother.

Rhea snarled, grabbing at me as I dove for the door. She was soon busy fighting the dudes from Marcus' team, though. I was able to slip out amidst all the chaos.

"Great," I said once I found myself running down a long white hallway. "Where the hell is Edward?"

"Jazz!" a voice yelled up ahead.

"Edward?" I shouted, running toward the sound of his voice and hoping like hell that I wasn't starting to see people the way he saw Tanya.

"Jazz," Edward yelled again, I rounded the last corner and found him standing the middle of an open courtyard.

I didn't have time to give him more than a once over but he looked like death warmed over. I wanted to turn around and fry everyone last vampire in this place for that.

"Come on," he said, waving me closer. "I know the way out."

I followed him down another hallway. Edward moved so fast I couldn't keep up. He reached the end of the hall long before I did.

_What the hell is it with all these people running so damn fast these days? I'm not that out of shape._

Edward stood waiting for my huffing and puffing ass next to a locked door.

"I see you're not any better with directions, little brother," I teased.

"She said this hallway would lead us to the lobby," he told me, running his hands along the wall as if there was a hidden door somewhere.

"Who said?" I asked. "Someone broke you out? Cause that shit has trap written all over it."

Edward shook his head frantically. "No… she…we can trust her. I just have to get through the door."

"Get through the door?" I mocked. "What, did you get bitten by a radioactive spider since I last saw you?"

He ignored my taunt and yanked the door free from the wall with his bare hands, tossing it aside like it was an empty cardboard box.

My mouth hung open. "Dude, can you fly too?"

Edward rolled his eyes. "Come on."

He grabbed my hand, starting for the lobby when he suddenly fell to his knees.

"Eddie, what's wrong?" I caught him just before his head hit the pavement.

"Whoa," he whispered. "Guess I wasn't as ready to do that as I thought."

He was a like a bag of bricks as I tried to heave him to his feet. He leaned against me heavily once we were standing.

"Gotta get you out of here, Eddie." I dragged him toward the front of the lobby. I was focused on getting out of the building but I had no clue what we would do after that. Grab bus back to the border? We had no car, no passports, and no money. I didn't know exactly where we were or where we needed to go. We were screwed six ways to Sunday.

"Remind me to kick Alice's ass one of these days," I grumbled.

"Jazz…" he said, pointing to a light that was growing brighter through the wall of windows in front of us.

"What the…oh shit!" I yelled, dropping us down to duck as the car came crashing through the glass wall.

The black paint was chipped. The fenders were still dented in and there was a high grinding sound as the engine revved. But I had never seen a more beautiful sight in my life.

"Dad," I said, pulling Edward up and running toward the Impala. It didn't faze me that there wasn't anyone behind the steering wheel when I reached the backdoor. I eased Edward on to the back seat and climbed into the driver's seat.

Dad kicked it into reverse and spun around. I turned the wheel left once we were clear of the building, praying that Alice knew what the hell she was talking about.

"You okay, Eddie?" I threw over my shoulder as we sped away from the facility full of vampires. We had been trying to outrun the bastards all of our lives, and now there was a huge red target on all of our asses.

"I'll live," he grumbled.

I pushed down on the gas pedal with only one destination in mind- _Find Isabella._

"Where's Iz?" I asked, looking at the dashboard like I would see Dad's face staring back at me. The engine rumbled in response. "Come on, you son of bitch, I know you can talk," I yelled. "Talk."

"Forks," Edward groaned from the backseat. "He says she's in Forks."

Looking over my shoulder for a second I noticed that he was squeezing his head between his hands, like he was trying to shut something out.

"He talked to you?" I asked suspiciously.

"No. He can't talk right now. He's still too damaged. But I…I can _hear _him," he explained, opening his eyes slowly to stare at the roof of the car.

"O-kay," I said slowly, turning my eyes back to the road. Obviously there was going to be a very long, awkward conversation ahead for this family.

"Forks, it is."

Now that the immediate danger was behind us, I realized my throat burned with a thirst I was afraid to understand. The need to turn back around and find Rhea was overwhelming. That desire was only slightly outweighed by the need to find Alice and keep her safe.

_Rule number one, _I reminded myself. I took my hands off the wheel, realizing that Dad was doing just fine driving and rested back in the seat for the long road ahead.

The radio snapped on suddenly. AC/DC started playing softly in the background like a church bell tolling the midnight hour.

"_And I'm going down, all the way down  
>I'm on the highway to hell"<em>

**Hw2HHw2HHw2HHw2HHw2HHw2H**

**A/N: You didn't really think I would end it here did you? **

**See you soon… _Back in Black. _Leave me a review for this chapter and I'll send you a sneak peak of the sequel. **

**Lyrics:**

**_Highway to Hell: _AC/DC**

**Special thanks again to: TwilightMomofTwo, Secamimom, Kharizzmatik, MissCarissa, Nicoconsd, and InaVilla for your above and beyond support of this fic throughout. **

**Thank you all for reading this and thank you for everyone who took the time to review it and send me your thoughts of encouragement and support. **

**Thank you to Dean and Sam Winchester for being so complex and so fucking hot that you just simply can't be contained to only one fandom.**

**To my dear Celeste, I hope this beginning was up to your expectations. I can never thank you enough for our friendship and for you shoving me kicking and screaming towards the world of Supernatural. **

**Now, I know you all like to keep your theories to yourselves but please… what do you expect in the next installment? **


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